Charles R. Swindoll's Blog, page 20

One of the most encouraging things about a new year is the word "new." It means "unfamiliar . . . made or become fresh . . . different from one of the same category that has existed previously," says Webster....

For years I've wondered at how God places us in a holding pattern between two holidays. I think it's for the purpose of evaluation. During this time, life naturally slows its pace. It's a perfect occasion to push the "pause"...

When America's thirty-fourth president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, began his administration, he instructed his aides and his executive assistant that there should be only two stacks of papers placed on his desk in the Oval Office. The first would be a...

One of the greatest privileges of my early ministry was to become acquainted with a man named Jim Petersen. Through his capable leadership and sterling character, the ministry of the Navigators expanded greatly in São Paulo, Brazil, where he and...

Too often, we pastors tend to wear our smiles upside-down. The burdens of ministry—especially during the busy holidays—often cause our joy to droop into deep-wrinkled frowns. The remedy? We need to reflect on God's good gifts to us. And often!...

Exactly what does our heavenly Father want to develop within us? Well, rather than getting over my head in tricky theological waters, I believe the simple answer is found in Christ's own words. Read His declaration of His primary reason...

I know, I know—"ministry is serious business." If I hear that one more time, I think I'll gag. I fully realize that too much humor can be irritating, even offensive. I recognize that it can be taken to such an...

In the ministry, monotony and mediocrity often mesh like teeth in gears. One spawns the other, leaving us yawning, bored, and adrift. In referring to monotony, I do not have in mind a lack of activity as much as a...

Are you open to change? People who make a difference can be stretched, pulled, pushed, and often changed. You heard it from me: traditionalism is an old dragon, bad about squeezing the very life out of its victims. So never...

Ministers of excellence are those who see through the lies of the clutching greed of our times. They are pastors who have declared their undivided allegiance to Christ's message, those who have humbled themselves to Christ's sovereign authority . ....