The next few weeks are full of some exciting ministry opportunities. I wanted to give you an update and invite you to pray with us, asking the Lord for His strength and grace as we serve. Open Toronto Initiative. Linda…
Tag: Bible
Portrait of an Effective Minister
I’ve never been accused of being a great artist. But that hasn’t stopped me from doing some drawing. In fact, I sketched an impromptu picture during the first course I taught after coming to Heritage. The class was on the…
Dealing with Criticism as a Preacher or Teacher
Preachers can count on being critiqued. In some ways, it’s only fair. Preaching, by its very nature, takes place in a public forum. And going public with our thoughts—even when seeking to exposit God’s Word—opens us to public response. Since…
Sailing Through 2016
As we set sail into a New Year, we all hope for smooth sailing. But most of us have lived long enough to know storms will be coming our way. Balmy days and calm waters will, at times, turn into…
A Lincoln-like Response to Rebels
These are trying times for those of us who hold to biblical values and believe God’s truth is needed for human flourishing. We are increasingly reminded that we live in a culture that is in rebellion against God and His…
How God Leads Those in Ministry (Part 3 of 4)
In the last few posts, I’ve been reflecting on what I’m learning from the book of Acts about how God guides those engaged in ministry. My interest in this subject is theological but not theoretical; I need God’s guidance as…
How God Leads Those in Ministry (Part 1)
One of the paradoxes of Christian ministry is that leaders are first and foremost followers. When Jesus called His first disciples--those who would give leadership to His church--He told them, "Follow me." So unless we are following Jesus, we have no business…
Becoming an “Open Bible” Church
Over the past few weeks, I've written about the need to help people engage with the Bible. I'll finish off this short series with a third way pastors and church leaders can help people engage with God's Word. (You can…
Let the Lion Out!
We're considering ways pastors and church leaders can help people meaningfully re-engage with the Bible. We've already looked at the first and most basic way: Model engagement with the Bible. Here's a second way: Preach with Confidence in the Bible One of…
Re-engaging with the Bible
Having highlighted the downward trend towards greater disengagement with the Bible, it's time to consider what can be done to turn things around. Like all spiritual transformations, a change for the better will ultimately be a work of God's Spirit. But God's…
Rick and Linda Reed 