Mel Lawrenz is Minister at Large for Elmbrook Church and the author of the book How to Understand the Bible. In order to live the Bible, we need to understand its true meaning. That includes looking at specific words, but also seeing biblical passages in the context of the whole Bible. Two principles here… Appreciate […]
On Interpreting Scripture Read More »
Let’s say you’ve become convinced that the Bible may just have the truth and the power you know you need in your life, and you go out and purchase a brand new Bible because you want to make a new beginning. You remove the wrapping and are pleased by the smell of new leather,
Reading with Understanding Read More »
To friends near and far. May you know God’s rich blessings this Christmas and the new year ahead! [VIDEO] Christmas Eve – Brookfield from Elmbrook Church on Vimeo.
A Word for Christmas and the New Year Ahead Read More »
FREE DOWNLOADS… “For the Christmas Season” click HERE “For Christmas Day” click HERE “For Christmas Time” (for kids) click HERE Christmas bookmark click HERE
“Printable Prayers” for Christmas Read More »
“Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King…” The Christmas season is a time of joy. But, for some, it is also a time of sorrow. In Mel Lawrenz’s message from Philippians 4 we learn about what this means: “rejoice in the Lord always.” We also learn about “the peace
A Message for the Christmas Season: Guarding Our Hearts and Minds Read More »
[VIDEO – What happens when you ask a bunch of kids to tell the story of Christmas? Enjoy this story of Bethle-ha-ha-ham and the star that appeared. It’s all about “the new baby who is going to change the world.”]
Christmas According to Kids [video] Read More »
[link below for downloading PDF “printable prayer” version, 8″ x 10″, suitable for display] Lord God, In these weeks leading up to Christmas we long to know the meaning, the power, and the mystery of that great mission whereby you came to save us from our sins. Help us to focus on the good news
A Prayer for the Christmas Season Read More »
It is fair to ask the question: “How will my life be better if I understand the Bible better?” because it certainly is possible to own a Bible, carry a Bible, read the Bible, listen to Bible teachings and sermons, and neglect working to understand what the Bible actually means. It is worth everything to
How Will Our Lives Be Better if We Understand the Bible? Read More »
At the intersection of past and future, we have one of the greatest opportunities to influence the common good. Unthinkingly, we sometimes idealize the new and devalue the old. The truth is, the only way for tomorrow to have integrity is for the best of yesterday to pass through the gateway of today. In my interactions with
Theology is not limited to the work of professors and clergy. Any serious Christian who has invested time in reading and studying Scripture is doing the work of theology, because theology (from the Greek words theos, meaning “God,” and logia, meaning “utterance, speech, reasoning”) is simply seeking ways to understand and speak about God, and
Deepening Your Biblical Theology Read More »
Are you tired of chaos? Need some peace? We live in a chaotic world, a chaotic society, and we have chaos within us. God does not want us to be stuck in chaos, but to enjoy the calm of the peace of Christ. When Jesus commanded the winds and the waves to be still (Mark
From Chaos to Calm Read More »
[Dr. Mel Lawrenz is Minister at Large for Elmbrook Church. Follow on Twitter: @MelLawrenz – Follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thebrooknetwork ] I love being around people who have so deeply taken the word of God into their lives that it has shaped the very way they think, their overall attitude toward life, their reactions to minor and
The Indwelling Word Read More »
The ever-widening scandal of Pastor Bill Hybels’ behavior with women over many years is only the outermost edge of the shockwave. Equally as devastating has been the woeful response of Willow Creek’s leaders. The resignation of Hybel’s successor, Steve Carter, with a stinging rebuke of Willow Creek’s leaders’ response, all before the convening of the Global Leadership Summit, ought to put hundreds of thousands of Christian leaders around the world on notice: this is a time reckoning. And an opportunity to correct.
The Willow Creek Crisis – Time of Reckoning for All Leaders Read More »
The word “character” goes back to the word for a stamp which leaves an imprint, like the dies used to make coins. Your character is the very shape of your inner life (your thoughts, motives, values, impulses, responses), which is revealed in the shape of your outer life (your actions, behaviors, speech, relationships). And then
Building Character Read More »
Below are two prayers that may be helpful in your pattern of reading and studying Scripture. And here is a sermon Mel Lawrenz some time back about how to make prayer a practical pattern in real life. “Real Prayer: How Prayer Works in Good Time and in Bad Times”… Sermon: “Real Prayer” A Prayer Before Reading
Opening the Doorway to God Read More »