If you were to stumble upon a long-lost manuscript that no eyes had seen for generations, and if you were to read its opening lines which offered a “wisdom” like what’s described in the following lines, you might consider it one of the greatest discoveries of your life. Proverbs… for gaining wisdom and instruction; for […]
[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 »
[Dr. Mel Lawrenz is Minister at Large for Elmbrook Church and the author of the brand new Prayers for Our Lives: 95 Lifelines to God for Everyday Circumstances. ] ________________ “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and
Turning Hurry into Rumination 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 »
Devotion is the conscious commitment to doing those things that will fill our lives with what is good and right. We were designed to be filled by the God who created us. That is how love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control become the shape of our character. In its simplest form,
The Power of Devotion 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 »
Once in a while the attention of the whole world is focussed on an act of salvation. That is what has been happening in these days when in Thailand 12 boys on a soccer team and their coach are being rescued from a deep dark place in the middle of a cave system. The story
Rescue in Thailand, Rescue for Us All Read More »
Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. Leviticus 25:10 If you go to the city of Philadelphia today, you can visit a historic eighteenth-century building which contains a room called Independence Hall. This ordinary room was the place where, on July 4, 1776, men signed the Declaration of
The Sound of Freedom Read More »
Here are a few basic principles of the interpretation of Scripture. If followed, we will get out of the Bible what God put into it, which is the only thing we should be interested in. If we want to read into Scripture our own preconceived opinions, then we might as well be using a novel
Basics of Bible Interpretation Read More »
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with
Reverence and Respect Read More »
Today I feel compelled to write a more personal expression of what it means to “live the Bible.” I have not mentioned before now in these writings that in the last year I have had to exercise faith in God’s character like never before. One year ago this week my 30-year-old daughter Eva suddenly died.
The first part of the Ten Commandments describe what a right relationship with God looks like, and the second set of commandments describe the way to live rightly with other people. The fifth commandment is a call to honor our fathers and our mothers. For some reason we sometimes only think of this as small
The Ten Commandments and Our Relationships With Others Read More »
You shall have no other gods before me. This is how the Ten Commandments begin. We may not always realize what a radical notion that is. In most periods of history people groups around the world assume that there are multiple deities. But the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob made it clear that he
The Ten Commandments and Our Relationship with God Read More »
Do you believe in the value of the Ten Commandments? Yes. Do you follow the Ten Commandments? Well… I try my best. How many of the Ten Commandments can you name? (Blank stare.) That is a conversation that might unfold almost anywhere. There are few statements of life principle that have the historic influence of
What Are the Ten Commandments? Read More »