#howard hendricks

I was talking to a friend the other day about church growth, and we both notice something disturbing: Most of the “new” people coming to church are actually not so new. Much of what has been called church growth is actually church transplants.

We’re not reaching the lost. Ouch!

I think Howard Hendricks nails it with this:

“The Gospel is failing to produce results in some places today because it lacks an audience.Christians in churches are busy evangelizing the evangelized. We constantly face the danger of developing a fortress mentality: making occasional excursions into unfriendly territory and scurrying back to the safety of our church and its people when opposition arises. We tend to derive security from friendly surroundings rather than from Jesus Christ, and so we fail to penetrate our society for Christ.”

I pray my greatest strength is my relationship with Jesus Christ, and that my driving passion is for others to know this beautiful relationship too.

Spiritual failure is never a blowout, but always the result of a slow leak. Howard Hendricks

Howard Hendricks tells the story in Footprints of a young man studying to be a minister. He was very talented, but was “riding rather than building on his background.” Toward the end of school year a caring professor called him into his office. “Bill, I’m disappointed in you,” the professor kindly said. “Really, Prof, why?” Continue reading Admonish One Another

The late Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant was one of the best players in professional basketball. His workout regiment was legendry and his dedication to the fundamentals of the sport was uncompromising. The story is told that Nike sent Alan Stein, Jr to witness one of Bryant’s workouts. When he arrived at 4:00 am, Kobe was already dripping with sweat with a warmup before the workout. For the…

The late author Howard Hendricks and long time professor at Dallas Theological Seminary once wrote that people go through three stages when faced with change: 1. Resistance to change. 2. Tolerant to change. 3. Embrace change. As an observer of the human condition it seems that most people remain in stage one. Some are able to accept stage two. And fewer yet actually move to stage three and …

A New Prayer from a Dead Saint

Howard Hendricks was a great leader and discipler of men. Not very tall but with a personality that dominated a room, he was unforgettable. Unfortunately, he is mostly forgotten today, except by everyone whoever met him or heard him, he was a man useful to God. Though small in stature, “Howie”, was both a scintillating speaker and spell-binding as a classroom teacher. Some time back, a friend…

God doesn’t make mistakes.

Ever!

That means you are not a mistake. You might make a mistake (or, if you’re like me, maybe lots of mistakes), but you are not a mistake.

God had you in mind before He created this universe. He knew the perfect time to send you to Earth. And He knew just what you needed to be.

You are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for you to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

STOP comparing yourself to others.

STOP beating yourself up.

STOP doubting how special you are.

Even the fun and entertaining Dr. Seuss got it:

Today you are you! That is truer than true!There is no one alive who you-er than you!

Lord, Give Me Wisdom

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

These familiar words, often seen on plaques, were written by the American theologian, Richard Niebuhr, and is commonly known as “The Serenity Prayer.” They speak to challenges we all face in life. But the ability to properly deal with our ever changing…