Are you known as a person full of faith? If Jesus watched your life, would he be impressed by your faith? Would it cause him to take notice and respond? In other words, do you have mountain-moving faith? Scripture: Mark 2:5 (NIV) "Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, …
Trusting God with your Life Plan
Do you find yourself anxious wondering about the direction of your life? Will your life matter? Will you have made a difference? The Lord promises to work out your life plan. Scripture: Psalm 138:8 The Lord will work out his plans for my life— for your faithful love, O Lord, endures …
Trusting God in Good and Bad Seasons
Do you find it difficult trusting God with your future? Do you struggle trusting Him with your family, your investments, your career or even your very life? Trusting God can seem hard at times, but the psalms tell us it's better than silver or gold. Scripture: Psalm 125:1-2 Those who trust in …
Praying the Lord’s Prayer: Our Father, Who Art in Heaven
What’s your prayer life like? Do you primarily pray in arrows? You know what I mean. It’s like Nehemiah before approaching the king for permission to return to Jerusalem to inspect the city (Neh. 1). He thought he would lose his job—or worse, his life—so he prays a quick prayer and submits to …
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Phil’s Top Ten Lists: 10 Things to Make 2012 Memorable
The end of a year always provides a chance for analysis and forecasting. While it's an arbitrary marker in certain respects, it allows us a chance to evaluate our work and lives. John Piper recently released his end of year report for Desiring God Ministries. In this 9 minute video, he describes …
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Growing Deeper in Worship: Insights from Fellow Worship Leader, West Breedlove
Are you looking for insights into how to keep your faith growing and your creativity stoked? Do you wonder how to maintain the heart of a worshiper while maintaining the mind of a thoughtful worship leader? I've decided to start interviewing worship leader friends who have been faithfully leading …
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Preparing for Worship (Part 3): Praying and Reading the Scripture
Called to Worship – Issue #24 By Phil Mershon One of the most important facets of a worshipper's life is a steady diet of scripture. If your worship is not rooted in scripture and truth, then it will become empty emotionalism. Likewise, if your worship is not rooted in the Spirit, then it has the …
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Jesus is Watching You: Gospel Reflections on Isaiah 53
Called to Worship – Issue #17 by Phil Mershon Have you heard this joke? A burglar breaks into an empty house. He's carefully stowing away his newfound treasures when he hears a voice, "Jesus is watching you." Startled, he looks around for the source. Not seeing anyone he continues looting the …
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Why Don’t We Pray?
Called to Worship - Issue #6 by Phil Mershon When you pray, how do you think about God and your relationship to Him? Do you see him as a distant ruler who only gets involved with the major issues of your life? Does he seem more like a watchmaker who started your life and is only needed when …
Called to Worship – Send the Rain
Called to Worship - Issue #1 by Phil Mershon Send the Rain – 1 Kings 17-18 I can't remember a time with such diverse and prolific natural disasters. We have seen record-setting tornadoes and life-changing earthquakes and hurricanes. Many rivers have exceeded long-standing flood records and …