trust

(Paul Merrill writes here every First Friday) A lesson I’ve been learning again is how to trust. One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Paul’s request for us to not worry in Philippians 4:6-7. He gives a great alternative – pray. When we worry, we bring the problems into our own court and […]

by Paul Merrill

Formulas

Donald Miller got me thinking. I’ve been reading Searching for God Knows What. He talks about how we can’t use formulas for how we relate to God. We can’t just pray for X and expect it to appear on our doorstep 24 hours later. That would reduce God to being a celestial vending machine. Yet […]

by Paul Merrill

Way to listen

(Paul Merrill writes here every First Friday.) “My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.’ And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.’ ” (Psalm 20:7) That’s a great way to start a day. Or end a day. David, the guy who wrote those words, preceded those thoughts by saying, “Hear me […]

by Jon Swanson

Five years

“What do you want to be true of you as a leader in five years? What do you want your wife to say about you as a church leader? What do you want your kids to say about you as a church leader?” That’s what I asked five guys the other night. They are studying […]

by Paul Merrill

Prayer. Again.

(Paul Merrill writes here every First Friday) I constantly seem to forget how important and real prayer is. A few months back, I wrote about a friend who was facing foreclosure because he had not received a paycheck in over a year. I prayed with him for several months. God brought a job! Another friend […]