by Dr. Paul Chappell | Dec 24, 2012 | Christian Life
Don’t make the mistake of enjoying the wrapping of Christmas—activities, time with family, gift exchanges, traditions—without enjoying what is behind the wrapping—the gift. Quite simply, Jesus is the gift of Christmas. And, with Paul, we exclaim, “Thanks be unto God...
by Dr. Paul Chappell | Dec 22, 2012 | Christian Life, Ministry Leadership
The story is told of a struggling community who called an open town meeting to discuss their financial straits. Included in the group of a couple dozen people at the meeting was a stranger. No one knew him, and no one paid him any attention. In fact, once when he...
by Dr. Paul Chappell | Dec 19, 2012 | Ministry Leadership
What do you envision your sphere of leadership and ministry looking like twelve months from now? If you desire for it to be different in any way than it is now, you must plan for it. Vision is an often-misunderstood concept. When a spiritual leader seeks to develop...
by Dr. Paul Chappell | Dec 15, 2012 | Ministry Leadership
Sometimes you read an entire book for a single illustration or paragraph. Such was the case for me recently in reading Dangerous Calling by Paul Tripp. The paragraph below is worth the entire book. I urge you to read it slowly: It is only love for Christ that can...
by Dr. Paul Chappell | Dec 12, 2012 | Christian Life, Media/Resources, Ministry Leadership
If you’re anything like me—and most people I meet are in this regard—you’ve shouldered too many burdens that you wish you would have given to the Lord. Sometimes we forget to give them to the Lord. Sometimes we just don’t want to let them go. Sometimes we struggle to...
by Dr. Paul Chappell | Dec 10, 2012 | Christian Life
It’s strange that the very time of year we celebrate “peace on earth” is one of the most frazzled and hectic. But Christmastime or not, many of us grind through our days with a heart empty of peace. The world is filled with overload of all kinds. But God’s children...
by Dr. Paul Chappell | Dec 8, 2012 | Ministry Leadership
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by Dr. Paul Chappell | Dec 5, 2012 | Christian Life, Family, Ministry Leadership
The picture above sits on my desk in a frame, representing a fond memory to me. It was one of those times Terrie agreed to spend time with me in the outdoors for a few days of hunting. Really, Terrie is a city girl, but she tells me that the Lord placed on her heart...
by Dr. Paul Chappell | Dec 3, 2012 | Family
After nine months of waiting, what a joy it was to welcome our newest granddaughter, Leighton Olivia Chappell, to our family! Born December 1 at 4:53 a.m., Leighton weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces and was 20 and 3/4 inches long. Larry and Ashley are doing great (as proud...
by Dr. Paul Chappell | Dec 1, 2012 | Christian Life
My wife gets serious about Christmas. So serious that we built a shed in the backyard to store her accumulated wealth of Christmas decorations—indoor and outdoor. Last week the inevitable moment came when Terrie asked me to pull the decorations out and help her begin...