November 2006

Sort by: Most Recent | Most Viewed | Most Commented

Issue #287:
Resist discouragement

Pastor, discouragement will derail your life mission. If Satan can’t get you to put off your life mission, he’ll try to make you quit altogether. He’ll neutralize you. You can't let that happen. God has a unique mission for your life that only you can fulfill. Here's how to turn the table on your discouragement.
Read More

Published Wed, Nov 29 2006 12:00 AM by MTBEditor

Filed under: Issue Archives
A Look Behind the Wardrobe, Tom Holladay

This small group study, used at Saddleback Church, helps draw parallels between The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and biblical Christianity. It could be a great outreach opportunity if you connect it with the DVD of last year's blockbuster hit...

Published Tue, Nov 28 2006 12:42 PM by MTBEditor

Filed under: Book Look
How praise can transform your ministry

Praise devastates Satan and his forces. Mary Southerland I love the story of the woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head. "Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today...

Published Tue, Nov 28 2006 11:35 AM by MTBEditor

Filed under: Ministry Library, How praise can transform your ministry
Notes & Quotes -- Actor Stephen Baldwin discussing his Christian conversion with ABC News

"It's real, it's changed my life, it's transformed my heart, I'm not who I was. No longer … do I feel the pressure of, 'how fancy are my shoes? Or what kind of car am I driving? Or how much money do I make?' None of that matters...

Published Tue, Nov 28 2006 11:27 AM by MTBEditor

Filed under: Notes & Quotes
Notes & Quotes -- Phillip Yancey, Rumors of Another World (Zondervan, 2003)

"No one gets an exemption from hardship on planet earth. How we receive it hinges on whether we believe in an alternate reality that transcends the one we know so well. The Bible never minimizes hardship or unfairness – witness books like Job, Psalms...

Published Tue, Nov 28 2006 9:30 AM by MTBEditor

Filed under: Notes & Quotes
Notes & Quotes -- Source: U.S. News & World Report (May 23, 2006)

In 2005, 73 million Americans visited casinos. That's up from 53 million in 2000. Source: U.S. News & World Report (May 23, 2006)

Published Tue, Nov 28 2006 9:08 AM by MTBEditor

Filed under: Notes & Quotes
Notes & Quotes -- Rick Richardson, Reimagining Evangelism (InterVarsity, 2006)

"We tell people that the cross means we are forgiven. Jesus has paid the penalty of our sins. And that Jesus' resurection means we will have life after death and be with God in Heaven. That has been our message. But it has retained only two dimensions...

Published Tue, Nov 28 2006 8:41 AM by MTBEditor

Filed under: Notes & Quotes
Year-end tax saving tips

DALLAS (BP) — Think it’s too early to start your tax preparation? A recent flurry of tax legislation and expiring tax credits and deductions that Congress may retroactively extend at year’s end calls for early preparation despite a later filing date ...

Published Mon, Nov 27 2006 12:22 PM by MTBEditor

Filed under: Ministry Library, Year-end tax saving tips
God uses conflict in ministry to grow you

There is nothing as piercing as the Lord's judgments. He is always right and no defense can escape the scrutiny of his truth. I did not die quietly that night, but I did die. And a long process of transformation had begun. Matt Weaver The prospective...

Published Mon, Nov 27 2006 12:21 PM by MTBEditor

Filed under: Ministry Library, God uses conflict in ministry to grow you
What pastors need to know about gambling

by Rex M. Rogers Gambling is a snake in the grass that will hurt the flock. We need our shepherds to warn us away from the snake, minister to us when it bites, and when possible, stomp the snake. Rex M. Rogers, author of Gambling: Don’t Bet on It “My...

Published Mon, Nov 27 2006 12:10 PM by MTBEditor

Filed under: Ministry Library, What pastors need to know about gambling
Dealing with criticism

Some people are just negative, dragging everyone down – even themselves. Dismiss invalid criticism. for the church. Craig Groeschel, author of Confessions of a Pastor Boarding a plane with my friend Bobby, we saw a pastor friend in first class who was...

Published Mon, Nov 27 2006 12:07 PM by MTBEditor

Filed under: Ministry Library, Dealing with criticism
Ministering to people who feel depressed

When we start looking at the secret parts of their life, don’t just give an assignment of Bible study and prayer. Find out what’s really going on. Bob Baker, Saddleback’s pastor of pastoral care and staff chaplain LAKE FOREST, Calif. (PD) — It has happened...

Published Mon, Nov 27 2006 12:06 PM by MTBEditor

Filed under: Ministry Library, Ministering to people who feel depressed
Thanking God through difficult times

Rick Warren’s Thanksgiving messages Pastor, need some ideas for a Thanksgiving message this year? Check out some of Rick Warren’s Thanksgiving messages at Saddleback. Some of you have had a tough year. You’ve endured your share of criticism. Maybe you...

Published Wed, Nov 22 2006 9:20 AM by MTBEditor

Filed under: Purpose-Driven Pastor, Thanking God through difficult times
Issue #286:
Thanking God through difficult times

Had a tough year? The Bible teaches that we need to be thankful in all circumstances. This Thanksgiving may be just the right time for you to recapture an attitude of gratitude.
Read More

Published Wed, Nov 22 2006 12:00 AM by MTBEditor

Filed under: Issue Archives
You Don't Need a Title to be a Leader, Mark Sanborn (WaterBrook, 2006)

This short primer on leadership focuses on the little things each person can do to become a more effective leader, from the power of focus, to persuasive communication, to leaving a legacy with your life. It'll be a nice book for a pastor who wants...

Published Mon, Nov 20 2006 3:28 PM by MTBEditor

Filed under: Book Look