According to 3 ambitious southern Christians, it will begin on June 20th in Plymouth, Massachusetts This nation has been through three large-scale Christian revivals, or "Great Awakenings"- where large numbers of our citizenry refocused their lives upon Christ and His Word.  The last true "Awakening" happened between 1850 and 1910, or over 100 years ago.  (Some scholars and theologians believe there was a 4th Awakening in the early 1970's, but most followers do not consider that a true "Great" Awakening.)  Given the continual problems in the United States, within a more secular society, are we overdue for another revival? "Yes," states Dan Zimmerle, one of … [more]

What happens when a nation has less than 2% of its population identified as being "Christian"?  What if that same nation has almost two-thirds of its citizens living as atheist, agnostic, or "irreligious"?  The answer is all over the daily news headlines all across the world:  North Korea, and its maniacal and repressive dictator Kim Jung Un. North Korea and its totalitarian regime is teetering on the brink of war, a potentially nuclear war.  They have provoked much of the region and the world for the past fifty years.  It is currently under the leadership of Kim Jung Un, who followed his like-minded father and grandfather.  At one time North Korea looked ve… [more]

I have always been a proponent of internet evangelism. When I found out that tomorrow, Sunday April 21st, is internet evangelism day, I had to do an article about it. Internet evangelism day happens every year on the 4th Sunday of April. This website has over 4,000 people per year go to our page that is set up to teach people how to start a personal relationship with Jesus. The internet has broken down the walls between nations and people. It allows a small town pastor in rural Wyoming to speak to people of all nationalities. It allows you to plant seeds where you never thought it was possible to plant seeds before. It truly allows every believer to fulfill the gr… [more]

Earlier this afternoon three bomb explosions (two at the Boston Marathon finish line and one at the JFK Library a couple miles away) rocked an unsuspecting city, and unsuspecting crowds running in and cheering alongside the famous Boston Marathon.  At this writing, two people have been confirmed dead and approximately 100 persons have suffered injuries- some of them critical.  It is unclear who might have done this; there are currently no suspects. What is unsettling and unnerving for me is the fact that this occured essentially in my back yard, or in "my city".  True, I did move a few years ago up to southern New Hampshire, but I still call Boston my home ci… [more]

As our nation reels at the news of the Boston Marathon Bombing, Christians need to unite in prayer. The Boston Globe is reporting that according to the Boston Police Department, 2 people have been killed and 23 injured by the blast that took place at the Boston Marathon. It is reported that the Massachusetts General Hospital has had to perform amputations on some of the victims According to the New York Post, a Saudi Arabian National is being held at an undisclosed Boston Hospital. The Associated Press has reported that there were 2 other bombs that were found and detonated, but there are also conflicting reports that only 1 other bomb was found. The Red Cr… [more]

I have just got done investigating one of the most insidious and malicious scams I have seen to date on the internet. The scammers are the owners of www.christianprayercenter.com. It is a website that advertises heavily using Google AdWords. They say that millions of Christian will pray for you worldwide. They also claim to have miracle prayer requests answered. The only reason I stumbled upon this scam is because of a person reporting them to me on Christian Faithbook. They clicked on the ad in order to place a prayer request. After signing up, and filling out all the forms to place their ad, they were asked for a donation. Now I do not have a problem with people… [more]

The Sixth Commandment: Murder of the Heart “You shall not murder." Exodus 20:13 Chances are, if you ask someone if they have they broken the sixth commandment, you shall not murder, they will claim to be innocent. This is pretty typical. Most people when faced with God's holy law believe at least that they have not broken it on this particular point. But check out what Jesus said regarding the sixth commandment. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be… [more]

  Heaven's Gate “There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.” Revelation 22:8   If you only knew The treasures that await For you, My precious child, Behind Heaven’s gate.   If you could imagine The diamonds and the gems, The hills and mountains, The roses and blossoms,   The waterfalls and streams, The eternal Sunlight, The glory of the days, The absence of night,   The songs of birds, The lamb’s dance with the lion, The peace, the joy, the love Of Eternal Zion.   If you only knew, My child, you would not fear, For you would … [more]

I am the first to admit that I am an imperfect leader. I am an imperfect church member. I am an imperfect man. There have been times in my life where I have done or allowed some pretty dumb things in my life. So when I talk about codependent tendencies between church leaders and church members, I am not trying to raise myself up on a pedestal by pointing out the flaws of other. I am trying to bring to light something that I have both wrestled with personally and seen operating within some churches in the hopes that by doing so, it will bring a greater degree of health and fruitfulness to leaders and church members. There is a difference between codependency and interdependency. The Bible teaches that we are to be interdependent upon one … [more]

  Soaring in Spirit   “…but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31   Soaring so high, Flying so free, The vast world below Now I see,   Amidst the clouds, Close to the sun, In the arms Of the Eternal One,   Up with the birds, In soul-freeing flight, My heart beating With rhythmic delight,   This is how I feel, Pure, strong, free; This is how I feel Because You love me.   So my heart soars To the heavens it seems, Sweeter than sweetest Of all my dreams.   To You, my Jesus, My heart I give, F… [more]

It seems that in today's society we are busier and busier and have less time to schedule events during the week. Mid-week services are dwindling or non-existent and home groups are not the cure-all that proponents claim them to be. So what is the solution? How about accomplishing the same thing you would accomplish at your brick and mortar building but doing so online? That is where building an online social network for your church comes in. In the following picture I am going to show you that there has been a cultural shift in how we relate to one another in our world. We can always do what we have done in the past which is scream and shout and refuse to adapt to the cultural change or we can see the change and adapt how we do ministry.… [more]

How to Share Christ with Atheists I was reading an article this past week that was describing a speech Stephen Hawking was giving entitled; “How the big bang happened without God.” It always amazes me how much effort is given, by those who claim to know God does not exist, by trying to prove what they already claim to know to be false. But nonetheless here was another atheist dealing with the topic of creation. I read the full article to see what arguments he had to make and began to chuckle at the language used to describe his thoughts. The article contained words and phrases like: believed, seem to fit, likely, ideas, fit that model and created out of nothing. Of course, there was a lack of certainty inherent in the selection of t… [more]

Christian worship is an important part of the Christian life. Martin Luther is quoted to have said that man was created to worship God. One of the values of the church family I am part of is intimate worship. However I am fully aware that we do not have a monopoly on the concept of worship. That is why I wanted to give you some of my favorite Christian quotes about worship. I hope that they will help you expand your horizons on what is worship and why we worship God. Featured Bible Quote On… [more]

If you spend any time studying Church history, you will find that the Church of Jesus Christ has always been under attack. The enemy of the Church is Satan and his one, primary goal is to cause as much disruption, distortion, confusion and havoc to the Church as possible. When Jesus died on the cross, Satan actually thought he had gained a victory until, Jesus rose from the dead, Satan then realized his ultimate defeat. Because of this, he will stop at nothing, will not fail to use anyone or any… [more]

This morning I want to share with you the vision I am sharing with my own congregation at the Vineyard Church of Pine Haven. We are a small town church in a community of 500 in rural Wyoming. Our building will seat 100 people. Yet I believe that God is calling even us, a small church in a sparsely populated area to be a church without borders. A little over 2000 years ago, a small gathering of believers was given a commission to be the church without borders. In the book of Acts chapter 1 we… [more]

Children are a blessing from the Lord. Remind yourself of that! LOL  Honestly, there is nothing like having children around your life. They bring a sense of joy and wonder that we sometimes forget about. So I pray that these Christian quotes about children will help you as you raise and nurture your kids. Featured Bible Quote About Children Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. 15 Christian Quotes About Nurturing And Ra… [more]

Recently I came across a video blog by Phil Strout talking about qualities found in successful leaders. In those videos I found some principles that I have always believed concerning vision. So I wanted to pass along to you those biblical insights about vision so you too can implement these principles in your life and ministry. The book of Proverbs states in chapter 29 this statement. Proverbs 29:18  18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: Now I could go on and on about how pe… [more]

This week at my church I won't be sharing a traditional Mother's Day sermon but instead will be sharing a message about the God who comforts as a mother who comforts her child. Often times we place upon God attributes that show severity and rigidness. However I would like to show you the God who is willing to comfort us as a mother comforts her child. So let me start by sharing with you a verse out of the book of Isaiah chapter 66 and verse 13. Listen To The Podcast Of Pastor Duke Sharing This… [more]