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The Power Of Prayer

“When the prayers go up, the blessings come down!”

During my second week at camp, I had the joy of counseling junior boys, and along with them came fun services and some real throwback songs. Serving as a counselor at Camp Joy was one of the greatest opportunities of my life. Not only was I able to witness God working in the hearts of my campers, but I also experienced His working in my own. After only three weeks, I had already learned lesson after lesson. As I strived to do my best as my camper’s counselor, God served as my Counselor (Isaiah 9:6).

Today I wanted to share with you just three examples of God’s answer to my prayers while I was at camp. God showed me just how powerful prayer is, and as a result of the summer, my prayer life has continued to thrive and flourish.

Continue reading “The Power Of Prayer”
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Line Drive Leading: An Interview with Coach Gary Garrison

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” –John C. Maxwell

Leaders are plenty in quantity, but rare in quality. We often think leadership is simply leading others, but we cannot forget that great leaders must first learn to follow God, who will then lead them.

What makes a great leader? How can I be a great leader? Coach Gary Garrison has some advice for you.

Continue reading “Line Drive Leading: An Interview with Coach Gary Garrison”
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WWJD=HWLF

WWJD? What would Jesus do? We’ve heard it numerous times, but where did this Christian catchphrase come from?

Originally, WWJD came about in the early 1990s when a youth group leader by the name of Janie Tinklenberg began a movement to help the teenagers in the group to remember the phrase by creating bracelets for them. They were in Holland, Michigan. But now WWJD is worldwide.

What I found to be super neat is WWJD goes back way further than 1990. It goes all the way back to 1891, in a sermon preached by none other than Charles Spurgeon. (Fun Fact: the name of my dorm at Maranatha is Spurgeon!)

Continue reading “WWJD=HWLF”
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Be The Right Church

Are you familiar with the phrase, “Be the right one, before you find the right one”? My home church, Heritage Baptist Church, is currently searching for a new pastor to lead us. But before we find the right pastor, we must be the right church. This is a sermon I was blessed to be able to preach last Sunday, January 6th. Praying it is a blessing to you!
(Also, my apologies I haven’t posted in so long! Christmas Break has been very busy, and I was spending lots of time with family and friends, and also preparing this sermon.)

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Sermon 101: An Interview with Evangelist Mark Herbster

There are two sides to every sermon.

First, every sermon needs a preacher. For years and years, pastors have delivered sermons weekly. Often, they present between two and three messages a week. But the preacher is not the only person in the room.

Every sermon also needs an audience. For years and years, congregations have come faithfully to hear their pastor preach to them. They listen, reflect, and try to apply his sermons to their lives.

There have been some pastors that stood out from the rest because of their excellent sermons,  and after all this time, what have preachers learned about preaching, and what have congregations learned about listening?

What makes a good sermon? And how should I listen to a sermon? Welcome to Sermon 101. Continue reading “Sermon 101: An Interview with Evangelist Mark Herbster”

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Shepherd Insights: An Interview with Dr. Bryan Brock

What if I told you this post would be dealing with shepherds, sheep, and pastures? Doesn’t make much sense, right?

But it is. Today’s post deals with pastors (shepherds), sheep (church members), and pastures (churches).

“Feed the flock of God which is among you.” – 1 Peter 5:2

This week I was blessed with the opportunity to interview Dr. Bryan Brock, a very seasoned shepherd. Dr. Brock is a professor in the College of Bible and Church Ministries at Maranatha Baptist University. He is an alumnus of the college, but he has also received an MDiv degree from Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary, a DMin degree from The Master’s Seminary He spent 10 years as a church planter and pastor in California. I was able to ask him a few questions about how the congregation affects the church and its pastor, both positively and negatively. I hope his wisdom is a blessing to you; I know I was able to learn a lot. Continue reading “Shepherd Insights: An Interview with Dr. Bryan Brock”

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Stuck in the Middle

Have you ever been to a carnival or fair where you could walk through a hall of mirrors? This is a picture of a hall of mirrors I got to go through at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. It’s really neat to see how mirrors work, distorting your body into all different kinds of shapes and sizes. But it can also be frustrating, running into the walls as you attempt to find your way out. Have you ever felt like you’re in a mirror maze, trapped and confused? You know God has a plan, but you can’t seem to find your place in it? Have you ever been stuck in the middle? Continue reading “Stuck in the Middle”

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Keeping It Real

This year on my senior trip, I was able to visit Ellis Island for the first time. It was exciting, but I couldn’t see it very well from where we had parked. However, as we walked down the path to the ferry that would take us to the island, I came across some coin-operated binoculars. It cost me a little, but the binoculars helped me to view the island much better.

Are we too quick to allow others to view our lives through a set of binoculars? When is honest too honest? Are we magnifying parts of our lives that dishonor God in an attempt to relate to others? How does God define genuine? Continue reading “Keeping It Real”