What Revival Looks Like
How many of us through the years have prayed, Psalm 85:6, “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” In truth, we need revival. I know of no greater need for our nation, the church where I pastor, or my own life than revival. This is why our...
Fellowship, Separation, and the Local Baptist Church
This is developed from a blog I originally posted several months ago but have edited to include additional Scripture, illustrations, charts, and a letter from Dr. Curtis Hutson. When I was growing up in the 70s, the watchword among independent Baptists was separation....
5 Steps to Turn Your New Year’s Goals into Habits
It’s become a habit of mine—throughout the month of December, I jot down areas in which I want to grow in the new year as they come to mind. Then somewhere during the week between Christmas and New Years, I write out specific goals. It would be nice if that was the...
A New Resource for Your Family Devotions
As both a dad and a pastor, one of the areas I believe is most crucial, and perhaps most often lacking, in Christian homes is to have a daily time when families come together around God’s Word. From the time our children were young, Terrie and I began this practice,...
Five Ways to Incorporate a Church Theme throughout the Year
Each year at Lancaster Baptist Church, on the first Sunday of January, we reveal to our church family a new scriptural theme for the coming year. This theme flows out of much prayer and preparation that has taken place for six or seven months in advance of the new...
What to Do with a Gift Like Christmas
A few years ago, I wrote a little book titled Christmas Is a Gift. In it, I pointed out that Christmas itself is the gift of Christ’s presence: Emmanuel—God with us! But if Christmas is a gift, how do we unwrap it? How do we celebrate the gift, not just enjoy the...
A Word of Caution for Your New Year’s Planning
As we’re just weeks away now from the start of a new year, most of us are thinking toward what changes we’d like to make or goals we’d like to pursue in the coming twelve months. As a pastor, I’m already weeks into preparing ministry goals for our church, and I’m...
5 Practical Ways to Diligently Invest in Your Children
Parenting is not for the faint of heart. And I’m not just referring to the hazards of stepping on legos in the middle of the night. (Although legos do qualify as a parenting hazard.) But primarily I’m referring to the responsibility parents have to shepherd their...
5 Ways to Lift Up Jesus during the Christmas Season
We know that Jesus is the reason for the season. But how much of our season actually is centered around celebrating Christ? It’s so easy in the rush of responsibilities to see December as more of a to-do list than as a month of special opportunity to lift up Christ....
The Resilient Life
Overcome the Crises and Anxieties of Life through Christ
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Pastor Paul Chappell
Dr. Paul Chappell is the senior pastor of the Lancaster Baptist Church and president of West Coast Baptist College in Lancaster, California. His biblical vision has led the church to become one of the most dynamic independent Baptist churches in the nation. He has been married to his wife, Terrie, for over forty years and is the father of four married children all serving in Christian ministry.
