What if Paul were to hold a conference at your church and ask you about its “organic growth?” Let me explain. There has been a proliferation of “how to” sources throughout my four decades of ministry commenting on everything from growing in numbers in one location to transitioning a church from one size and place to mega-status across multiple sites. The Ashlock question is blunt: Are we expecting...  Read More

The court of public opinion is quite fickle! We will take a bird’s eye view today of one particular segment of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion where moral flip-flopping is evident (See 27:24-25). We will see how swiftly down a slippery slope a people may slide when the moral hillside is blanketed with injustice (26:4, 59, 65; 27:12-14, & 18, “out of envy that they had delivered him up”). All involved...  Read More

We all could use a miracle about now! People have begun counting the number of days that they have been under stay-at-home orders, recounting former care-free days by posting numerous pictures on social media from high school graduations to family vacations, and wondering openly whether this current plague will ever end! Have you ever wished for some bright ray of sunlight in an otherwise cloudy p...  Read More

Mother Teresa once said, “. . .The sufferers from leprosy, the rejected, the alcoholic, who we serve, are beautiful people. Many of them have wonderful personalities. The experience which we have by serving them, we must pass on to people who have not had that wonderful experience.” “Phase II” in the fight against the novel coronavirus has been entered by many nations. This move beyond the terrify...  Read More

In the past two weeks, Christians have celebrated Christ's resurrection all across the world. Many of us celebrated Easter on 12 April of this year, and many others, mainly Orthodox Christians, observed Easter on 19 April. Why is this so? Western Christianity uses the Gregorian Calendar and celebrates Easter on a Sunday between 22 March and 25 April, within about seven days after the astronomical ...  Read More

Mature Christians will know that temptations provide them with crucial preparation for service to the Lord. Have you ever viewed temptations in this way? Jesus encountered temptation right on the heels of his mountain-top experience of God’s affirmation at His baptism and sets a wonderful example for us to follow (3:16-17). We will often reach crossroads where we must decide whether to pursue God’...  Read More

Christians and non-Christians have faced disease and tragedy in similar ways across the ages. Their approaches to their circumstances, however, have often been markedly different. The historic Christian response has been founded upon Jesus's most important teachings: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, and with all your strength," and "Love your nei...  Read More

Charles was born in 1949 to an alcoholic and abusive father in Kathithyamaa Village in Kangundo, Machakos, Kenya. By the time he was five years old, he had been utterly abandoned by his parents. He became a street child. Begging for food and drink and building shelter with tin and cardboard, he survived. Adults along the way gave him access to the free primary school, but there was no home for him...  Read More

Helen comes from a long line of pastors. She was born in 1952 in Siler City, North Carolina, into a family with eight brothers and sisters who were raised by their single mother. They all learned from her strong work ethic. With no car, she walked ten miles each way every day to work for another family, so her children took care of each other, cooked, cleaned, and chopped wood to help earn additio...  Read More

“All hail King Jesus. All Hail Emmanuel. King of Kings, Lord of Lords. . .” are lyrics to a powerful chorus that celebrate the universal and eternal reign of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It seems like we are ever in search of just the right leader, but we too often fail to seek God’s light and direction in that search. Our focal passage today begs the supreme life question, “Who will lead us...  Read More

“When you suffer and lose, that does not mean you are being disobedient to God. . .The path of obedience is often marked by times of suffering and loss” (Charles Swindoll). Paul was a poster child for suffering, having experienced it in so many forms—physical, emotional, and spiritual. Nevertheless, he praised God who is the source of all comfort (1:3). My belief is that suffering may be beneficia...  Read More

“God cannot fix who is first not broken” (Jack Wellman). Perhaps it is my recent accident or the global crisis, or both, but the word “broken” touches me to the depths of my soul today. Many of us have been racing to accomplish our self-made agendas, and we realize now that God has said, “Enough.” Friends, if He is talking to you in this way, as painful as it may be, please listen and respond. The...  Read More