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6 ways pastors can lead to a more Gospel-focused church culture
A pastor recently called me seeking advice on how to create a culture of evangelism in his church. This young man was concerned about the lack of Gospel outreach among his congregants, and though he has extensive knowledge of the Bible and pastoral training, he wasn’t sure how to activate his church members to share the Gospel. This pastor is not alone. A 2023 Barna study revealed that only 12% of pastors reported they felt their church’s evangelism was “very effective,” whi
Jay Lowder
May 30
How God Saved This Man From Suicide And Transformed His Life
“Because I was battling an alcohol addiction, my life had really just got put into quicksand,” he said on an episode of the “Jesus Calling”
Movieguide Contributor
Mar 21
I am fascinated by a compelling true story.
There are many ways to communicate information, but I have found that some truths are most easily grasped in the context of a parable.
Jun 6, 2024
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Jay Lowder
Jun 6, 2024
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Marriage Mountains
Every marriage has its share of mountains. There is the thrill of ascending to the marital summit where ecstasy, stunning new realities...
Mar 26, 2015
Condemned to hell at Mardi Gras
Just because the cloud in the sky looks like a multi-headed dragon to you doesn’t mean it doesn’t look like a four-leaf clover to someone else! I was excited when the invitation came for me to address School of Urban Missions , a Bible college, which was having a conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. Students who have committed their lives to ministry were planning to gather in the swamp state where by day they would be taught in workshops and by night they would be blitzing
Feb 27, 2015
Price Tag
Every good and perfect gift….. has a price tag. As I walk around from shop to shop looking for the perfect gift to give someone this Christmas, I am reminded that each item has a price tag and that I have a budget. The items that I deem wonderful and perfect for someone always seem to be over my budget. As a mill about, I am reminded of Luke 14:28, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to com
Dec 22, 2014
Is God still welcome at the Thanksgiving table?
It is amazing to me in the “politically correct” society in which we live that a 150-year-old tradition rooted and grounded in religion has slipped by without much notice or debate in this secular age and culture. Perhaps it is because we were never properly educated about the God behind Thanksgiving. Most of us know a bit about the first Thanksgiving held in the winter of 1621 when the Plymouth colonists shared an autumn harvest feast with the Wampanoag Indians. For the next
Nov 20, 2014
It's nothing new
“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9 Considering global events, it is amazing that our world has survived despite the pandemonium and despair that seems ever present in our news. Every time I turn on the television, there seems to be some sort of gloom and doom message being proclaimed. When I compare their message to the Word of God, it comes up short. God has not given us a spirit of fear,
Oct 9, 2014
The Performance Trap
I really hate walking on a treadmill and honestly, I don’t like walking round and round the track. Being stuck on something going nowhere...
Sep 11, 2014
Avoiding Burnout
The day began at 5:15 a.m. - as a notorious night owl, who could give Dracula a run for his money, the two hours of sleep the night...
Aug 26, 2014
The Boiling Point
Proverbs 16:32,"He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty and he who controls his spirit than he who takes a city." Yesterday’s...
Jul 13, 2014
Poisonous Relationships
1 Cor 15:33, "Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits." Show me your friends and I will show you your future! Who you are...
Apr 7, 2014
A Christmas Letter
I always get ramped up thinking about you this time of year. Although I am a grown man, there is something about Christmas that takes me back to my childhood days of innocent, raw belief and unbridled anticipation. In those younger years, when the only calendar I understood was how many days I was away from the next Christmas, I didn’t possess the pressures, stress or obligations that I now constantly juggle. Yet, I also didn’t have the privilege of watching the joyful tears,
Dec 23, 2013
Failure
Her look, a combination of Palomino colored hair and glitzy aquamarine eyes made her stand out from others like a lighthouse. I didn’t...
Aug 4, 2013
Apache Pride
I always wanted to be one. Every single time my sugar-high buddies and I would play Cowboys and Indians, I chose to play the part of the Indian. I had a rubber tomahawk, a pair of moccasins, a few arrowheads and a shoddy red and yellow headdress that had only ruffled four feathers. I didn’t look like Sitting Bull but I sure felt like I did. I felt authentic when my mother told me that some of my distant relatives were Natives and that I was “Part Indian.” In actuality, the pe
Jul 16, 2013
A Texas Yankee
New York City is 1,590 miles away from the desk from which I am writing, but from my thoughts and heart there is no distance at all. I...
Jun 13, 2013
Tragedy in Boston
In much of life there is no question more impossible to answer than “WHY?” The how, what and when will eventually be revealed but the “why” of Boston, New York, Aurora and Sandy Hook may never truly be discovered. Unanswered questions are usually the most haunting. I can rack my brain with possible reasons for the suffering but I’ve given up such thoughts, because I know they exceed any logical reasoning. I would rather spend my energy whispering prayers for those affected. I
Apr 18, 2013
Home
“Home” is a word that should be soothing and grand, conjuring up memories of joy, happiness and peace. The word “home” is endearing to so many that its connotations and use are almost endless – from a home stretch, hometown, home cooking, homemakers and even the Homewood hotel. As if that weren't enough, we can even go to a hardware store called the Home Depot. Ironically, “home” can even be used to describe a gender like a "home boy" or a "home-grown" girl. I have occasional
Apr 1, 2013
March Madness
It’s now March and the beginning of melting snow, emerging tulips, Daylight Savings time, the celebration of Easter, and Saint Patrick’s...
Mar 8, 2013
Trip to Toronto and Down Memory Lane
I just returned from an exciting trip to Toronto with my wife Missy. I was invited to appear on a great Canadian Network to share my story and discuss Midnight in Aisle 7 . While there, we spent time with the couple who led me to Christ. They were able to meet Missy for the first time; for years I wanted her to meet them. As I reminisced to them about the night I was saved in a city-wide outreach he was preaching in, I couldn't help but think of what has been left in its w
Feb 6, 2013
Windows of Opportunity
On Jan. 1, the kids, Missy and I held our traditional New Year’s family devotion. This is not some sappy time of making resolutions we...
Jan 3, 2013
Christmas is NOT over
Yes, December 25th has come and gone. Boxes and bags were emptied and stomachs are filled. Although its lights are still turned on...
Dec 31, 2012
Transition
A little over a week ago I paced into another arena, but my purpose this time was different. I wasn’t there to speak but to listen and...
Jun 5, 2012
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