fisher of men

Dr. Ray Pritchard Author, Speaker, President of Keep Believing Ministries Here is Day 10 of Letters to Our Grandchildren: “No Room.”  We wrote this letter to Penny. She is six years old and lives in Missoula, Montana. Check out “O Children Come” by Keith and Kristyn Getty. Enjoy! PS Click here sign up for the free email sermons.

Thanking God for What Didn’t Happen  By Debbie McDaniel “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”  Psalms 91:1-2 Sometimes we need to thank God for all the things that didn’t happen, for what He’s stopped that we never even knew about. We may not always see it, or feel it, we might forget it’s there at times, or even wonder if God’s left us to fend for ourselves in the heat of hard situations in life. But His protection is real. He sees what we can’t see. He knows what we may not know. And if we belong to Him, we can trust, He’s with us, every step, going before us, and covering our back too. Yet in a world of dark, He often gets blam...

During four weeks in December, most churches will celebrate Advent, a season of expectation of the arrival of Christ, by lighting five candles. The first four, held in a wreath, are lit once a week, and the last one, churches will either light on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, depending on the calendar year. As mentioned in the Week 1 article for the Candle of Hope, this tradition’s roots started during the Middle Ages (perhaps as far back as the fourth or fifth century AD), but the advent candle wreath we’ve come to know today has solid historical origins from the 1800s onwards. Each of the five candles represents something different, an important element in the coming of Christ and our expectation of him. Three purple candles (Hope, Peace, Joy), a pink candle (Love), and a white candle ...

Dr. Ray Pritchard Author, Speaker, President of Keep Believing Ministries Here is Day 9 of Letters to Our Grandchildren: “Man of Honor.” This letter goes to our four grandsons: Knox, Eli, Josh, and Niko. Check out “What Child is This” by Future of Forestry. Enjoy! PS Click here sign up for the free email sermons.

5 Ways to Let Go of a Past RelationshipBy Lynette Kittle “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead” – Philippians 3:13  Like me, do you enjoy hearing of first loves finding each other again after years of being apart? It sounds so romantic and like a dream come true for the couples. Yet, the story behind the reunion makes all the difference, dependent on whether it’s really a happy ending or has involved unfaithful hearts with those involved. Sometimes the story involves two people who remained single and never married, only to reunite years later. Or, after a husband or wife has lost a spouse, they come together with an old flame or first love who is also alone. ...

“But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15  The passage “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” is popular. It’s printed on plaques, found on old reclaimed pallet wood, printed on the front of Bibles, and even hand-painted on walls of homes. It adorns Christian homes in many aspects because it is a statement of faith, an affirmation of a family’s commitment and covenant to serve the Lord.  Joshua’s Commitment The passage carried a heavier significance in the day of Joshua, however. According to the book of Exodus, Numbers, and Joshua, J...

Dr. Ray Pritchard Author, Speaker, President of Keep Believing Ministries Here is Day 8 of Letters to Our Grandchildren: “Will You Trust God?”  This letter goes to our four granddaughters: Penny, Violet, Zoe, Hannah. Check out this “Christmas Medley” by Anthem Lights. Enjoy! PS Click here sign up for the free email sermons.

In the business world, there is a clear understanding about the dynamic between acquisition vs. retention. Meaning the value of gaining new customers vs. keeping existing customers. Both, of course, are important.  What is clearly understood is that while it’s important to expand your customer base, it is imperative to keep your existing customers. Far too many businesses focus more energy on acquisition alone because… … getting a new customer is harder than keeping a current one, … getting a new customer is more expensive than keeping a current one, … and getting a new customer to the “place” of a current customer takes time. But keeping current customers and building loyalty is just as valuable. Think about someone who buys a car. Smart car dealers know that this is not the end of t...

  Why Worship? Why Give? Verse: Genesis 28:16-22 Author Mark Allan Powell addresses the fundamental principle behind Biblical giving: “The patriarch Jacob experiences God’s presence in a dream and, not knowing what else to do, sets up a stone and pours oil over the top of it (>Ge 28:16–18).” Powell points out that early Old Testament people “who had been touched by the goodness of God wanted to worship God, and they did that by taking something that belonged to them and giving it to God in the only way they knew how.” Later Powell discusses giving as it relates to those of us in the new covenant: God may be pleased, indeed delighted, with us even if we are giving the wrong amount, even if [we] are giving to unworthy or inappropriate causes. As we learn more about stewardship, ...

Dr. Ray Pritchard Author, Speaker, President of Keep Believing Ministries Here is Day 7 of Letters to Our Grandchildren: “The ABCs of Christmas.”  Knox and Violet join me for today’s video devotional! Jean Watson and Phil Keaggy have produced a beautiful arrangement of  “Do You Hear What I Hear?”  Enjoy! PS Click here sign up for the free email sermons.

THE LIVING GOD I write so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.  1 Timothy 3:15 When I was a kid growing up, my parents had my siblings and me in church every Sunday.  To be totally honest, the church I attended was BOOORRRIING (with a capital B – bold, italics, and underlined).  Minutes seemed like hours as we slugged through another service steeped with ritual, routine, and lifelessness. Does that sound familiar to anyone?  Can anyone relate to a boring church experience?  Can anyone relate to church being like bad tasting medicine you have to take in order to get well?  Is that what church is to be… an hour or so of bad medicine, bor...

Here is Day 6 of Letters to Our Grandchildren: “Waiting on the Lord.”  Waiting time is never wasted time if you waiting on the Lord. Check out Melanie Penn singing “Love’s Coming Down (Isaiah’s Song)”. Enjoy! PS Click here sign up for the free email sermons.