As many of you who have followed this blog since it started know, my first attempt at using Google adsense was not very profitable. I wrote about it in my blog post entitled Making Money with a Christian Blog. At the time I wrote that article I had just completed my migration from the Blogger platform to a self hosted WordPress program. When I was on Blogger, Google adsense was a nightmare. The ability of Google adsense to determine relevant ads for my blog posts, the click through rate due to that lack of relevancy and the amount per click I did receive was dismal to say the least. Because of the Google adsense terms of service that all publishers have to agree to prohibits disclosing actual dollar amounts I cannot tell you how bad but I can tell you that even though I had between 30,000 and 60,000 page views per month while using Google adsense, in a 3 month period of time I had not even reached the half way point of their minimum amount of $100.00 to be paid. I removed their adverti… [more]

There he is standing up on the platform behind the pulpit. Every hair is in place and impeccably dressed as he proclaims the word of God you love so much. He has the perfect marriage to his lovely wife and they seem to have it so together and you think to yourself, "If only I could find a man like that my life would be perfect." So you decide I am going to marry a pastor just like him. Stop and take a deep breath of reality before you decide to marry a pastor. The role of a pastor's wife is an unenviable position. It is not the place of eternal bliss and perfection that many imagine in their minds. Your pastor and his wife may look great on the outside but if they will be honest with you and allow you a look into the real life of a pastor and wife you will find out that what looks like a bed of roses is in fact a bed of roses with big thorns. Please allow me to take a moment to try to clue you in on what you can expect. You better make sure you are marrying the man you love not the … [more]

The Bible is full of wisdom and power. I think that is the reason that these famous Bible verses became so well known over the years. When I decided to try to do a list of famous Bible qoutes I came to realize that there are more famous passages and quotes than I could ever list in one blog post. So I did my best to put together some of the most famous verses for you to use but I also want you to list the ones that I miss below in the comment box. That way we will be able to compile a list for everyone to use and it will be a team effort! My list of famous Bible verses. Famous Bible Stories from the Old Testament. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1: 1 The Fall of Man.  Genesis 3 The story of Cain and Abel Genesis 4:1-15 The famous story of Noah and the Ark. Genesis 6:9-22 The Story of God's Covenant with Abraham Genesis 15 The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah Genesis 19:1-29 The story of Samson and Delilah Judges 16:4-22… [more]

The parable of the sower is one of the most powerful parables that Jesus taught when it is understood correctly and one of the most damaging when it is not. There have been many unscrupulous teachers of false doctrine that have used this parable to get people to "sow" seeds (money) into their ministries and pet projects. Never was Jesus teaching that if you planted seeds of money into a ministry that you would get a 30x or 60x or 100x return. So I thought that I would take a moment to break down this parable and what it means and hopefully by doing this I would save some of you the heartache and disillusionment that comes with the result of that false teaching. Do not be fooled into thinking giving money to people like these is what the parable of the sower means.   The Parable of the Sower Mark 4:1-20 Mark 4:1-20 Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed  1 Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore. A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Th… [more]

Why post a list of Christmas Bible verses? Well recently President Obama was reported to have stated that the White House was not putting up a Christmas tree but a holiday tree because America was no longer a Christian nation. Well I don't know about Mr. Obama's family but mine is still a Christian family and so I decided to post some of the Christmas scriptures that I have used over the years to keep Christ in our family's Christmas. I used these to read at the Christmas dinner table, or sometimes during our times of opening gifts, and always during our prayer times. I hope that these Christmas Bible passages will be a blessing to you and your family as you choose to go against the crowd and swim against the current by placing Jesus as the center of your Christmas celebrations by including these Christmas verses. 3 types of Christmas Bible verses.   Bible verses predicting the birth of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 7:14 14 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign… [more]

Recently I have been once again thinking about furthering my education. I have been looking at distance education and online Bible college. There are pro's and con's to distance education and you have to be cautious about which online Bible college you decide to go with. There are so many choices and so many less than reputable schools offering distance education, even in the religious niche. I have recently noticed a barrage of advertisements for "Ministry" and "Evangelism" degrees by places that do not even have a solid biblical background. Just like there are people who will sell mail order ordinations, there are people who will sell online Bible college degrees. I don't understand why a person would be fooled by this or even go for it since the purpose of getting an online Bible college degree is to grow in your spiritual walk and have the understanding and foundation in the word of God to be able to help people. Taking short cuts in this process really helps nobody. It is because… [more]

I have hesitated for a while about posting a list of Bible verses about marriage. The enemy of my soul has been whispering in my ear telling me that since I have failed previously in marriage that I had nothing to offer to people who are married or are contemplating marriage. However that is not true. If nothing else, because of my failures I can give a unique perspective to everyone concerning marriage because I do know the things I failed in and am honest enough to face those things and hopefully help others avoid the mistakes I have made. I also truly hope that someday God will give me favor and allow me to find my helpmate for the rest of my life. Maybe sharing these Bible verses about marriage will plant some seeds in that direction. :) This song is my favorite wedding song! Bible Verses About Marriage to Help You Prepare and Strengthen Your Marriage. Gen 2:18-25 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just ri… [more]

Recently I had an interesting experience while seeking the Lord concerning the ministry of this blog. I heard that still small voice speak clearly as only He can do. "Preach my gospel". I had been wrestling with the silly competition that has been going on between a sister website and myself. Every time I take a #1 ranking on Google for certain terms they would all of a sudden get 200-500 more Facebook likes within a few days and overtake my position again. This was causing me frustration and I was going before the Lord and asking His wisdom on this. It was during this time that I heard His sweet and loving voice tell me to just "Preach my gospel". That doesn't mean I won't continue to write the best quality content I know how, nor does it mean I won't provide you with bible verses on different subjects, but it does mean that the primary reason for this ministry to exist is to teach people the Gospel of Jesus. You won't find things on this blog about whether pet's go to heaven, or whet… [more]

People have many questions concerning life. What are the origins of life? How I can have a new life? What are priorities for life? These Bible verses about life will help you sort through those questions and hopefully answer some of your questions. When we were born, we were not given and instruction manual for life. Our parents were not given one either. We all do our best to figure out the questions of life. However the Bible is a book given to us by God to help us discover that blueprint for life. I say it helps us discover because the Bible is not God, it is His book. His purposes for our life is to have relationship with Him and even though the Bible is God's love letter to us, it is just the letter. He wants our relationship to be with Him personally. So it is my heart and prayer that these Bible verses about life will spring you forward in your search and journey for a more vibrant and real relationship with the Creator of the universe and His son Jesus Christ. Bible Verses Ab… [more]

Thanksgiving is less than a week away and shortly after that Christmas will be here. These things come upon us so fast that many of us don't think about thoughtfully preparing for the holiday season. As I sit here getting myself prepared to go over the hills and through the snow (literally) to grandma's house, (my mom) I was stopped short by the thought of how unprepared I am for this season. So as I am writing this dear reader, I am also being quiet and listening for the still small voice of the Lord in how He would like me to prepare for this holiday season. Preparing for the holiday season is a spiritual exercise. In our world of commercialism and Madison Avenue Marketing, we forget that both Thanksgiving and Christmas are times that are supposed to lift us up spiritually. We get so focused on making the events happen that we forget the purpose and reason of those events in the first place. As I step back for a second in my preparations and think about my own priorities for the ho… [more]

I am a lover of the gospel of Christ and I am a lover of quotes so I decided I would post an article on gospel quotes. The gospel which means good news is something that should be shared with every person of every tribe, tongue and nation. Unfortunately that has not been accomplished yet and the way it has been presented at times has not come across as very good news. I hope with these gospel quotes by men and women of God we all will get a better understanding of what the gospel really is and that it will help all of us become better communicators of the gospel of Christ. Listen to this video gospel quote by John Piper Great Gospel Quotes From History "The Gospel is open to all; the most respectable sinner has no more claim on it than the worst."  Martyn Lloyd-Jones "By the light of nature we see God as a God above us, by the light of the law we see Him as a God against us, but by the light of the gospel we see Him as Emmanuel, God with us." Matthew Henry “The … [more]

You get up in the morning, groggy and sleepy eyed. Maybe you take your shower and have a cup of coffee and then for many Christians it is off to do your "morning devotions". You may find a quiet place in the house if that is possible, or go to your computer and look up a devotional like Spurgeon's Morning and Evening or Oswald Chamber's My utmost for His highest or if you are really hip then you go and read Greg Laurie's devotional. Yet all of it seems to no longer speak to you or you seem like you are just going through the motions and it is not having an impact on your spiritual life. Well I hope to give you a fresh look at how to approach your morning devotions and may some new ideas about what really is the purpose of morning devotions. The purpose of morning devotions. If you are like me, when you gave your life to Jesus, you didn't have a clue about what it was to live out the Christian life. You listened intently to every word your pastor said trying to gleam insight into how … [more]

Southern gospel songs are part of my spiritual heritage. Many may not know this but I spent quite a few years being mentored by my uncle Rev. Robert N. Rich. He was the Pastor of the Jesus is Alive Pentecostal Church of God in Riverside California. It was a small church on the wrong side of the railroad tracks. They were people with a simple faith in a powerful God. Their main staple of music that they used to worship the Lord with was southern gospel songs. Although today I am a strong supporter of contemporary worship music, southern gospel music is still part of my heritage and I love to take time every so often to hear the voices of worship from the generation that went before me. So I hope you will take a moment to hear the heart and the message in my top 10 southern gospel songs. My top 10 list of southern gospel songs.   #10 Leaning On The Everlasting Arms..   #9 Victory In Jesus     #8 Because He Lives     #7 The King Is Coming     #6 The L… [more]

Why God is not "Good" is another guest post by fellow Christian blogger Dylan J. Dodson. It part of my ongoing effort and series to introduce you to other fine Christian bloggers and give back into the community that has given so much to me. Blessings Pastor Duke "God is good!" We hear this most often after someone explains a vacation they are about to go on, a new phone or gadget they just got, or even an answered prayer. It makes sense, it is in times of happiness, joy, or blessing that we may feel God's love and grace upon us.  Conversely, when we are sad or upset, our first inclination is not to proclaim the goodness of God. But should it be? Two and a half years ago my life was changed forever; my father committed suicide. My father who loved his wife and his children, sacrificed is own interests regularly to serve others, was an elder at our church, and was often jokingly nicknamed "Jesus" by those closest to him. Needless to say, no one ever even thought something lik… [more]

What is user experience? It is a concept that recently I have been wrestling with myself. When I first started out blogging I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would be researching, let alone thinking about things like user experience. I am a pastor. I think about whether or not when people attend the church, they enjoy the services, get what they came for, and leave feeling uplifted and encouraged in their walk with Jesus. Wait!!!!!  That is user experience! The same concept that I do naturally with the church I pastor is what I need to create with my Christian blog. The importance of having a rich user experience User experience in your blog is very important. It can mean the difference between gaining a follower and getting your site demoted. When I was young we used to tease my grandmother because she was quite the talker. We would say there was 3 forms of communication. Telephone, Telegraph and Tell Marceil. In a very real sense the same can be said for how someone exp… [more]

Love your enemies is a guest post from Louis Lapides. It is part of my efforts to share the blessings that God has given me with this blog by featuring quality guest bloggers from the Christian blogging community. Blessings Pastor Duke What Does It Mean To Love Your Enemies? I assumed as I advanced in years life would become less complicated.  In relationships I’d experience greater closeness.  Arguments and disagreements would disappear. Boy, I was wrong.  I assumed a good Christian has no enemies and gets along with everyone . Is this what Jesus meant when He said, “love your enemies . . . (Matthew 5:44)?  In other words, have no enemies! Playing Around With God’s Word To Let Us Off the Hook To start Jesus lifts a passage from Leviticus 19:18 that reads in the original,  “You shall not take vengeance . .  . , but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” However, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus quotes from the same passage but with a different spin: ‘YOU… [more]

We all have favorite Bible verses. I have listed quite a few of my personal ones in my Bible verses by topics. However lately I have wanted to get more interaction between the readers of this blog and myself so I asked all my friends and fans on Facebook what their favorite Bible verses were and these are the ones that they posted. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have and that you will share below what your favorite Bible verses are and pass these great bible verses on to your friends as well.  Favorite Bible Verses From My Friends and Fans on Facebook. Stephanie Franklin who I think personally is a real sweetheart gives a few favorite Bible verses here. She has an online business helping business promote themselves. You can look her up at Prosperity Promotions. Here is her favorite bible verses. Jeremiah 29:11 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. She says it is her… [more]

I have been asked on a few occasions what does the Bible say about tattoos? Well to be totally upfront and honest with you my readers, I have to say that I am not above prejudice on this matter. However I always try to take my own preferences and tastes and put them on the shelf when I speak about a subject but just in case they spill through in this article, let me just give you a little bit of background about where I come from and from what perspective I am speaking when I speak about what does the Bible say about tattoos? I grew up at an early age in a very traditional American family that still had the 1950's model of american life. My grandmother could be a very outspoken woman at the time and I clearly remember her saying that tattoos were for sailors and criminals. In those days, basically those were the only people who got tattoos and they were not the type of people she hung around with. Not only that but in that day and age, men were the only ones that even dared get a tatt… [more]

As many of you know, I love lists of Bible verses and I love Christian quotes. This post is an outworking of my love of both. God's love is something that many people might believe in their heads, but many of us, myself included, struggle with getting it into our hearts. We believe that God loves the world, and God may love our neighbors, but God may not really love us. So I felt like I wanted to give you and me both, a list of Bible verses about God's love and some Christian quotes about God's love to remind all of us how amazing His love really is. I hope that it is a blessing to you and that you will come away today after reading this post with a new realization that Jesus really does love you, this you know, for the Bible tells you so. :) Listen to this song about the amazing love of God for you while you are reading this list.   11 Bible Verses and 10 Christian Quotes About God's Love! Scripture verses about God's love Psalm 52:8 But I am like an olive tree, … [more]

Does the Bible say the world will end? Recently there has been a lot of interest in what the Bible says about the end of the world. With all the hype going on about the year 2012 and new age prophecies, people have once again been looking to see what the Bible really does say about end times and the future of mankind. I have found in my 32 years of being a believer that the Bible is not all that hard of a book to understand if you personally know the author. The problems that people have with interpreting the Bible when it comes to the end of the world is that they make it harder than it really has to be with things like secret codes, interpreting  what prophets of old saw in visions with the latest gadgets that modern science has come up with, and taking a preconceived idea and then going to the Bible to prove their viewpoint rather than just letting the Bible speak for itself. So let's take a look at what the Bible says concerning if the world will end shall we?  Watch Larry Norma… [more]