Does your devotional walk every become routine? Mechanical? Do you ever find yourself going through the motions, but rushing and not really enjoying personal fellowship with the Lord? Last night in Senior High Bible Study we studied how to conquer “impersonal Christianity”—a Christianity that knows about God but doesn’t really develop personal intimacy with Him. [...]
A friend emailed this to me today and I thought it worth sharing. It’s a ten minute video about cell phone usage and text messaging while driving—sharing real stories. I will definitely make sure my kids watch it! If you have teens or a youth group, you might consider passing it along.
Have you ever wondered who you are ministering to well, and who you are missing? Whether it’s a class, a group, or a church family, it’s easy to minister to many but miss some—especially those who are quiet. Some years ago, as our youth group grew larger, we became burdened about who we might be [...]
Do you ever have the feeling that you’re so busy, major values and priorities in your life are slipping? This is a sinking feeling—and bailing water doesn’t help. Time to plug the holes in the boat! Here’s a short list that might help you evaluate priorities and return to that which is most important in [...]
Educating Your Children with a Winning Philosophy Recently I had the privilege of meeting with a wonderful group of families in our church that homeschool their children. I fully believe in the value of traditional, Christian education and schooling, but I also have respect for Christian parents who, out of necessity or by preference, choose [...]
Everybody, in some respect is a leader, and everybody is a follower. Few are called to be the key leader. Many more are called to follow and support a key leader. For instance, a family may have many members but should have one father. A team can have many players (and leaders) but only one [...]
The audio file above is the newest Spiritual Leadership podcast from Pastor Paul Chappell. This lesson is entitled “Opening the Front Door.” In this session, Pastor Chappell shares some biblical and practical insights on how to welcome more visitors into your church. The Spiritual Leadership podcast is a free resource from Striving Together Publications (a [...]
This is part two of Pitfalls of Passive Parenting. Click here to read part one. Passive Parents Focus on Behavior Modification Rather Than Heart Transformation—They are more concerned with minimizing embarrassment than with truly molding the heart. Eli wasn’t alarmed by the wickedness of his sons’ hearts. He was just embarrassed by their behavior and [...]
Ever get depleted? Ever reach the bottom of the barrel when it comes to spiritual energy or passion? Don’t overreact! It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing all the wrong things with your life. You’re faith is probably still alive and well. There’s no need to go AWOL. Don’t start doubting every good decision or direction [...]
One of the most difficult circumstances of life and ministry is to try to help someone who has been deeply hurt. These are hard moments. More than anything, you want to take away the hurt, undo the pain, and fix the problem. But it’s just not that easy. Woundedness—regardless of how it occurred—requires time and [...]
For those of you who prayed for the Kehres family, a friend just emailed me this photo of Lynzie, the daughter that was the most seriously injured. As you can see, she’s doing well and God is answering prayer in a marvelous way! Today is Lynzie’s 11th birthday! Just two days ago, she was in [...]
Beginning October 1st (tomorrow), the daily radio ministry of Dr. Paul Chappell will begin airing on the CSN radio network. This means that Daily in the Word is now heard on over 450 radio stations across America and in some foreign countries. Daily in the Word is a 26 minute daily radio program featuring solid [...]
Uncovering the assumptions and behaviors of disengaged parenting “It’s just a phase—he will grow out of it.” “That’s just what teenagers do—she’ll mature.” “All kids are this way—there’s not really anything we can do to change that.” “They have to be able to make decisions for themselves.” These and others are the statements we make [...]
USAToday published an interesting article today about the impact of the internet and social networking. Here are a few of the statistics they shared: How social-networking services affect the everyday behavior of millions of Americans: An Ohio State University study links Facebook to lower grades. According to a survey of 219 students, published in April, [...]
Quick post for youth leaders (with the spirit of idea sharing) related to developing servant leaders in student ministry. J. Oswald Sanders’ classic book Spiritual Leadership is one of the great reads on the subject. It’s worthy of revisiting on a regular basis. The first time I read this book, I was in 8th grade, [...]
