by Dr. Paul Chappell | Nov 28, 2013 | Christian Life, Ministry Leadership, Spiritual Leadership Podcast
Someone told me years ago that thinkfulness is thankfulness. It’s true, and I’ve never forgotten it. When I pause to ponder the goodness of God, it brings thankfulness to my heart. When I ponder unfinished tasks and looming deadlines, gratitude escapes. (If...
by Dr. Paul Chappell | Nov 23, 2013 | Christian Life, Ministry Leadership
Do you know the single greatest enemy of gratitude? It’s not poverty. It’s not stinginess. It’s not mistreatment. It’s expectancy. That’s it—expectancy. We don’t often recognize the expectancy in our own hearts, because it seems so normal—so right—to us. But we can...
by Dr. Paul Chappell | Nov 19, 2013 | Ministry Leadership
Over the years, I’ve often told our church family here at Lancaster Baptist Church, “I’m Baptist born and Baptist bred, and when I die I’ll be Baptist dead.” At times, this has been a fun, catchy phrase, but in reality I fully mean these words because I believe in my...
by Dr. Paul Chappell | Nov 15, 2013 | Ministry Leadership
Spiritual leadership is no walk in the park. It was never intended to be. It is a battle. When Paul wrote to Timothy to instruct him in church leadership, he admonished: Fight the good fight of faith…—1 Timothy 6:12 We are in a war, and you and I are the soldiers....
by Dr. Paul Chappell | Nov 8, 2013 | Christian Life, Ministry Leadership
In the midst of one of the greatest works for God in the Old Testament, Nehemiah reminded God’s people, “…the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). Why the reminder? Because God’s people need joy, and one of Satan’s first line of attacks to weaken our...
by Dr. Paul Chappell | Nov 6, 2013 | Christian Life, Ministry Leadership
You’ve heard it said: In life there are two groups of people—givers and takers. The titles are self explanatory: givers invest, and takers seek to be invested in. Every Christian should be a giver, but those in the ministry should especially be givers. We should be...