by Terry_Powell | Feb 24, 2015 | Bible Teaching and Small Group Ministry
Something is transparent when you can see through it. A person is transparent when he isn’t pretentious, when he discloses setbacks as well as victories. He’s called real because he doesn’t mask everything that is going on inside. His prayer requests are specific...
by Terry_Powell | Feb 18, 2015 | Bible Teaching and Small Group Ministry
1. Prepare my heart, not just my head. I ask God’s Spirit to encourage, convict, or move me to action as needed. I use the text to inform a time of prayer before I start thinking about how to teach it. When something in the text moves me to tears, prompts...
by Terry_Powell | Feb 11, 2015 | Christian Living in the Trenches |
I heard the question 30 years ago. To say I cannot forget it is the classic understatement. To this day the question and the remarks that preceded it roil around in my mind, goading me, instilling discomfort. David Mains was speaking at a Bible conference on the...
by Terry_Powell | Feb 10, 2015 | All, Christian Living in the Trenches |
Is a sense of shame always a bad thing? Many Bible teachers and counselors reply with a resounding “Yes!” There’s no place for shame in a Christian’s life, they insist. Thanks to forgiveness, and to our right standing with God owing to justification, we shouldn’t...
by Terry_Powell | Feb 3, 2015 | All |
I pleaded with him. To no avail, as it turned out. Ronnie * (not his real name) and I were on the patio behind my house. He was a 31-year-old divorcee with two young girls who adored him. Chronically depressed, he had tried a couple times to take his own life. “Next...
