“God comes right out and tells us why he gives us more money than we need. It’s not so we can find more ways to spend it. It’s not so we can indulge ourselves and spoil our children. It’s not so we can insulate ourselves from needing God’s provision. It’s so we can give and give generously (2 Corinthians 8:14; 9:11)” — Randy Alcorn, Money, Possessions … Read More
5 Steps to a Strong Christmas Offering
Now that you understand the importance of doing a Christmas offering and how to pinpoint your causes, you need to start walking the path toward setting up the most effective offering possible. Here are the five most important steps to leading a successful Christmas offering: Step 1: Decide when to kick off your Christmas offering. As I mentioned, the Sunday … Read More
Christmas in November– Preparing for Your Christmas Offering NOW! (Part 2)
How Much Can You Raise? So how much money can you expect to raise through a Christmas offering? In general, with little planning or effort, you could raise two to three times your regular weekly offering. You would be able to raise this amount simply by announcing the offering and providing a special envelope. On the other hand, if you … Read More
Christmas in November– Preparing for Your Christmas Offering NOW!
As the old carol says about Christmas, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” But when does that “time of the year” actually begin? Have you noticed the way retailers have started putting out Christmas displays as early as September? Every year, the push toward Christmas seems to come earlier and earlier. By October, children are making their Christmas … Read More
Preaching to Convert Souls – A Saturday Quote
“We might as well preach to stone walls as preach to humanity unless the Holy Ghost be with the word, to give it power to convert the soul.” ― Charles H. Spurgeon
3 Things You Should Do TODAY to Prepare for Christmas
Merry Christmas! That’s what the over-sized Snowman in Home Depot said two weeks ago when I walked in. Jason Hatley here (Pastor of Worship Arts @ The Journey and Founder of WorshipLeaderInsights.com) and my family and I just laughed. The Christmas trees, snowmen and blow-up lawn Santas were right there beside the ghosts, witches and Halloween candy. I bet you’ve … Read More
Nine Simple Steps to Maximize the Effectiveness of Your Preaching
I want to help you double the effectiveness of your preaching with a simple nine-step process. One of the first rules actors learn is to speak the words of a script out loud before they go into an audition room. Why? Because no matter how many times they run through their part in their head, no matter how well they’ve … Read More
The Number One Reason Pastors Don’t Go to the Holy Land
You know, the reason most pastors never visit the Holy Land is surprising. It isn’t lack of desire! In my 20+ years of ministry I’ve never met a pastor who doesn’t want to walk where Jesus walked. It isn’t safety! I’ve personally been to the Holy Land several times, and I have always felt completely safe in Israel (despite what the media … Read More
Maximize the Effectiveness of Your Preaching -Part 1
Does your congregation remember what you preached last Sunday? How about the Sunday before that? I don’t want to burst your bubble, but numerous studies over the years have shown that people forget the majority of the information they hear from a communicator within 24 hours. As pastors, most of us have fooled ourselves into thinking that our preaching is … Read More
The Power of Plans – A Saturday Quote
“Plans are are useless, but planning is indispensable.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower