Blog ethics is something that I have found needs to be addressed even if it won't get a lot of search engine traffic from Google. Recently I have seen two incidents where Christian websites have done something that I would call unethical. One involved me personally and one involved a dear friend of mine. In both cases I do not believe the offense was something that was done purposefully or maliciously but instead were cases where zeal and a lack of knowledge caused the people to do something that is considered unethical. As Christian bloggers, I believe we have to walk a higher road than the world when it comes to how we run and promote our Christian blogs. I think we all realize that there will come a day where we give an account for our lives and actions and the values that we lived by. At that point it will not matter if we had page 1 rankings on Google, or that we had the biggest Christian website on the internet. What will matter is what type of character did we show and what type… [more]

Easter is fast approaching and many people are searching for some good Easter quotes for their Easter services at church or their family Easter meals at home. I have compiled this list of great Easter quotes and sayings for everyone to use as they celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. If it wasn't for the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus where would we be? I know that for me personally, I would not be the man I am without the personal relationship with Jesus that was brought about because of that first Easter morning 2000 years ago. So take a look at these Easter quotes and see if there is one or more that you like that you can use for your church's resurrection Sunday celebration. 10 Awesome Easter Quotes It is not for us now to rush ahead to Easter. Rather, it is necessary for us once again to undertake the surrender to Jesus of all of our false expectations and selfish hopes. It is necessary for us to watch as our sin burdens him and bears down on his head like … [more]

Recently I have been thinking on the subject of emotions and how they are dealt with in the church. What are the ingredients of the emotionally healthy church? It seems like that the church either swings to one side of the pendulum or the other. Either they are so emotionally inhibited that no one would dare express any type of emotions in a church service, or they are on the complete polar opposite of that and don't feel that God showed up at a church service if people did not express certain types of emotions publicly. So I have to ask myself the question. Is the church I pastor one that could be called the emotionally healthy church? I am going to try to answer that question by looking at 3 key questions concerning emotional health in the life of a church. What is the emotionally healthy church? The emotionally healthy church is one that understands that God created emotions. One of the things I never understood about churches that frown on the expression of emotions in a church… [more]

I decided to do a list of Easter Bible verses because Easter is by far the most profound and important of the Christian holidays. As much as we celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas because of God coming to dwell with man, Easter is the celebration of the culmination of the plan of God to redeem mankind. It was because of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus that we are free from the penalty of sin, the hold and destructive power that sin had on our lives, we are offered an eternal relationship with our heavenly Father through Jesus himself. So take a moment with me to dwell on these Easter Bible verses and allow yourself to become once again grateful for all that Jesus did and is still doing for us. This is part one of a 3 part list that will include the the crucifixion of Jesus, The resurrection of Jesus and the rest of the story found in the Epistles. Easter Bible Verses For Your Resurrection Sunday Celebration. Easter scripture verses in the Gospels The cruc… [more]

Never Give Up Your Faith is a guest post from a dear friend of mine that I first met about a year ago on Facebook. It is a touching and wonderful testimony of one lady's focus on the promises of Jesus even in the midst of trials and how she is not letting circumstances get her down in the midst of adversity. I thought that this would be a wonderful encouragement to all of you out there that are seeking healing from Jesus but have yet to receive it. Blessings Pastor Duke Never give up your faith by Victoria Kaye We had a guest speaker join us at church last night. He came to us from a church in northern California that freely and routinely operates in the miraculous. He is the head of the Healing Room ministry, and he shared many testimonies about the healings he and his team had been direct witnesses to. He was a very humble young man, giving God all the glory, and you could see God’s Spirit all over him. As the evening progressed I saw many, many miraculous healings – a couple… [more]

This morning I shared a message with my congregation entitled "The sad tale of a dysfunctional family". It was based on the account of the death of John the Baptist. The beheading of John the Baptist is a poignant example of what can happen when we allow dysfunctional attitudes and actions to overtake and control our families. The death of John the Baptist is truly a senseless tragedy brought on by people giving themselves over to their most carnal natures. It is truly a sad tale of a dysfunctional family gone awry. However even in this tragedy we can learn not only how to prevent this from happening in our own families, but we can also find the spiritual principles to help those that are trapped in the snares of the enemy. I truly hope that this teaching on the death of John the Baptist will be a blessing to you and help you to find the freedom and health that is only found in Jesus. The death of John the Baptist in the gospel of Mark. Mark 6:14-29 The Death of John the Baptist … [more]

The word Angel in the Greek language simply means messenger. These Bible verses about angels will show you what angels are and how God uses angels even today. I have never seen an angel but I believe in them. They are not, like some believe, the spirits of people who have died before us. They are created beings that have freewill. The reason we know they have freewill is because Satan and 1/3 of the angels rebelled and became fallen angels also known as demons. There has been a lot of speculation concerning angels over the years and hopefully these Bible verses about angels will put to rest some of the speculation and myths concerning angels. Bible Verses About Angels - Heavenly Angels and Fallen Angels. Scripture verses about heavenly angels. Genesis 19:16 When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city, for the LORD was merciful. Genesis 28:12 As he slept, he dreamed of a stair… [more]

I have been a believer in Jesus for almost 33 years. During that time, I have lost my focus on Jesus on more than one occasion. I am grateful that He is more focused than I am. It is because of these experiences that my whole perspective on the Christian life is different than it once used to be. Over the years I have focused on things like knowing the Bible, getting rid of sin in my life, and doing good works. Now on the surface those things sound like good things don't they? They are good things in the right perspective, but none of those things are the goal of the Christian life. The goal of the Christian life is developing and maintaining your intimate relationship with Jesus. All of these other things are secondary to this. So in this post I hope to encourage you to keep or to once again put your focus on Jesus. The primary focus on Jesus scripture. Hebrews 12:1-2 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off eve… [more]

Larry Norman was considered the father of Christian Rock and Roll. His music and ministry touched me deeply during the early years of my Christian life. I still love Larry Norman songs today. I had the privilege of meeting him personally in the early 1980's when the band that I was part of was the opening act for him in Gresham Oregon. I was blown away by the fact that Larry took time to meet with every person that wanted counseling or prayer. He spent at least 3 hours after the concert meeting with people privately to pray and counsel them. Then he spent another couple of hours eating an early breakfast with a bunch of pimply faced teenagers with desires to be the latest and greatest in Christian music. I am not going to include a picture of that! LOL So take a journey with me and hopefully you will enjoy these Larry Norman songs as much as I have through the years. My top 10 Larry Norman Songs #10 Why don't you look into Jesus - Larry Norman #9 The Outlaw - Larry Norman … [more]

You can find wisdom by banging your head against the wall enough times that you learn wisdom or you can find wisdom in the Bible verses about wisdom. Although I have banged my own head against the wall more than my fair share of the time, I have found that if you will daily spend a few moments reading the scriptures concerning wisdom that you can save yourself a lot of pain and hardship. King Solomon was considered the wisest man in the world and He wrote a book called Proverbs that contains much of his wisdom. That book, along with many other Bible verses about wisdom can help you traverse the pitfalls of life and give you insight on how to apply the principles of God. I hope that you enjoy the selection of Bible verses about wisdom that I have put together for you. Bible Verses About Wisdom From King Solomon and the Rest of the Bible The Wisdom of Solomon in the Bible 1 Kings 3:5-14 5 That night the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What do you want? Ask… [more]

Helping someone with depression is not easy. I am not an expert or a psychologist or psychiatrist. I am just a pastor of a small church in rural Wyoming however I have been successful in helping people overcome depression and in all honesty have overcome depression at one point in my life as well. In order to help someone with depression you need to understand where depression originates and then gently guide that person in dealing with the root cause of the depression. Our society has become inundated with medications that cover the symptoms of depression but they do not deal with the root cause. These medications are fine to help someone get over a period of crisis  or rough spot that a person is going through but they do not cure depression. They only deal with the symptoms. Hopefully I will be able to explain to you the principle I have found that freed me from the grips of depression and that has freed others as well. It is not God's will for anyone to live a joyless and unhapp… [more]

Bible verses about anger can be a touchy subject. No pun intended. LOL It is a difficult subject to deal with because on one hand, anger is a normal and even healthy reaction to certain events, yet on the other hand, uncontrolled or long lasting anger can be a very negative and damaging emotion. It can be expressed in many ways including violently, silently, or with crying which is most typical with women. It is my prayer that as you read these scriptures that you will get a better understanding on this subject and if you are dealing with negative anger or on the receiving end of that type of anger that you will find the help you are seeking through these Bible verses about anger. Bible verses about anger Scripture verses concerning the anger of God Exodus 32:12 Why let the Egyptians say, ‘Their God rescued them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them from the face of the earth’? Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind abou… [more]

Many times I take the sermons that I share at the Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Pine Haven and turn them into blog posts and articles that I publish in my weekly column in the Moorcroft Leader. Yesterday I shared this sermon on everyone gets to play taken from Mark's gospel chapter 6 and verses 7-13. It is strong value of mine that I use in both my technique of growing solid and healthy believers and for releasing people to do the things that Jesus did. The term everyone gets to play was coined by John Wimber back in the beginnings of the Vineyard movement. He wrote a book by that title. That book along with Jerry Cook's book called Love, Acceptance, and Forgiveness are probably the two most influential books concerning how to make disciples in my life, and they have formed how I pastor today. So come on a journey with me and let me show you why it is so important that everyone gets to play. Everyone gets to play - Christianity is not a spectator sport. Mark 6:7-13 7 And he cal… [more]

The church is one of the most loved and one of the most hated institutions in society. Those that love it, love it for good reasons. Those that hate it also hate it for good reasons. These Bible verses about church hopefully will give all of us a better picture of the purpose of the church and in doing so maybe we can increase those that love the church and reduce those that hate the church. I truly believe that the reason many people are upset with the church is not because they are upset with the original intent for the church that God had, but that man has perverted the purpose of the church and made it into something it was never intended to be. The word "church" in the Greek language is "Ekklesia" which means "called out ones." It does not mean buildings or denominations. It is the people of God who have been called out of the world and called to band together for each others mutual benefit. It is meant to be the physical representation of Jesus in this world. These Bible verses… [more]

When I first gave my life to Jesus I was amazed and totally blown away by the grace of God. I would just weep when I would read any of the Bible verses about grace. However it did not take long for me to get caught up in the typical bait and switch that happens in most churches when to come to the understanding of grace. Most churches and most Christians for that matter start out knowing that it is grace alone that saves and keeps a person, but soon after hearing all the sermons and words of advice about the Christian lifestyle, they start to operate under a performance mentality focusing on good works and pleasing God. The word "grace" in the original Greek language is "charis" which means undeserved favor or unmerited pleasure. We have already pleased God because of grace. There is no more "having to do" in order to please God. It is the finished work of Christ on the cross. So I hope to refresh your memories and to encourage your hearts by posting these Bible verses about grace. … [more]

Today I am going to go boldly where no man dares to go. I am going to give a list of Bible verses about beauty. It is not my desire, nor my heart, to cause anyone pain or cause anyone to compare themselves with someone or something else. Instead it is my desire to cause men and women to think about what is truly a balanced approach to the subject of beauty. Too long in our society have we gone to one of two extremes. Either beauty is magnified above it's God given role of being a gift to a woman's husband, or it is vilified as being unspiritual or worldly. Neither of these extremes are taught in the Bible but are both a symptom of an unhealthy values system. My grandmother used to say that "Beauty was only skin deep but ugly goes clear to the bone." She was right! My uncle used to say that "A little paint never hurt any old barn." As blunt as that is, He was right also! So I am going to go out on a limb and give you a list of Bible verses about beauty that hopefully will cause you to … [more]

Although the Bible has hundreds of passages concerning the blessings we are given as believers in Jesus Christ, some unscrupulous people have taken these Bible verses about blessings and used them for their own gain. I do not want to do this, nor do I want to be included in with those types of people so I have put together a balanced list of Bible verses about blessings that hopefully will truly be a blessing to you and show you that it is not all about being healthy, wealthy, and free of any problems, but instead I hope you will see that we are truly blessed with things that health, wealth, and the easy life cannot buy. Bible Verses About Blessings The greatest scripture verse about blessings. Matthew 5:3-12 The Beatitudes  3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole ea… [more]

If you have not had a time in your life where you have been afraid then either you are not human or you are lying. All of us at one time or another experience fear. Recently I ran across a woman who was afraid of commitment. It has kept her from having a fulfilling life now for over 10 years. It is quite sad. These Bible verses about fear will help you overcome all kinds of fear. Whether you are afraid of public place, or afraid of heights, or afraid of being alone, or as she was, afraid of commitment, these great scripture passages on overcoming fear will help you get beyond the bondage that fear can cause. It is not God's best that any of us to live in fear. Bible Verses About Fear, Anxiety, and Worry Scripture verses telling us not to fear. Genesis 46:3 “I am God, the God of your father,” the voice said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make your family into a great nation. Numbers 14:9 Do not rebel against the LORD, and don’t be afra… [more]

There have been many times in my life when I have needed help from the Lord. These Bible verses for help in times of trouble have encouraged and strengthened me when I needed it the most. No matter if you are facing financial troubles, troubles in a relationship, or emotional troubles, God will make a way where there seems to be no way. If you will place your burdens upon Jesus and allow Him to carry your troubles, you will be able to say along with King David, that you help comes from the Lord. Bible Verses for Help In Times of Trouble. Scripture verses for help from God Genesis 50:24 “Soon I will die,” Joseph told his brothers, “but God will surely come to help you and lead you out of this land of Egypt. He will bring you back to the land he solemnly promised to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” Deuteronomy 33:26 “There is no one like the God of Israel. He rides across the heavens to help you, across the skies in majestic splendor. 2 Samuel 22:7… [more]

The Bible talks quite a bit about the subject of money and giving. Unfortunately it has been abused by those that would want to use those verses for their own personal gain like the video that I am sharing with you at the right. If you have a preacher like this, THROW HIM OUT!. This has caused many of us who try to be ethical in the use of Bible verses about giving to handle this subject with gentle hands. Personally at my church we choose not to take a public offering. Instead we have a box in the back of the church that people can choose for themselves whether or not they want to give. I like this approach because it places the responsibility of having a generous spirit with the individual. It also alleviates the bad reputation many churches have of only caring about people's money. So come with me and take a look at these Bible verses about giving and you can decide for yourself what God would have you to do with your giving. Bible Verses About Giving And Generosity Scripture… [more]