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The Essential Faith Projects creates tools for healthier churches and Christians, just like you. Our blog helps us accomplish this goal as we post consistent content that helps you live an active faith.

Is Praising the Lord still relevant?

We’ve all heard the phrase “Praise the Lord”! The interesting thing is, in my experience most people who say “Praise the Lord” don’t do it—or even understand it! To praise is to state or declare the positive attributes of another. So, “Praising the Lord” isn’t saying those words, it is saying things like “God you are so great, so powerful. You are loving and forgiving, and your grace has saved us! You are so wise your plan is beyond our understanding!” “Praise The Lord!” is…

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When Faith Isn’t Private

One of my favorite things to do is meet with other church leaders. Yesterday I had the opportunity to do this with a friend who serves a local church. We met for lunch, caught up on each other’s families, and talked about scriptural teaching regarding what my friend was currently teaching. During our discussion, we both became animated (in a positive way!) and while we weren’t yelling, our conversation could be overheard by others close to us in the restaurant. I was seriously enjoying myself!…

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Forgiveness is commanded, but how do I do it?

My last blog focused on forgiveness and the fact that Jesus actually told us that if we forgive others, our Father will forgive us, but if we do not, He will not forgive us. For those who say they just can’t forgive someone, this should be scary! But understanding what Jesus actually commanded helps us understand that we can forgive. He didn’t tell us we need to feel good about someone or forget what someone did to us. He only told us that we are…

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Forgiveness Can Be Scary

The Bible is a fascinating book. There are passages that seem unrelated to us. There are passages that are profoundly encouraging and uplifting to us. And there are passages that (should) scare the snot out of us. One of the scariest of those to me is Matthew 6:14-15. In this passage, Jesus follows up on His model prayer, in which he instructs us to ask to be forgiven the same way we forgive others. In 6:14=15 He says if we forgive others, the Father will…

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The Jesus Revolution?

Last night Donna and I saw The Jesus Revolution. Aside from the inevitable artistic license and narrow focus (the Jesus Movement was by no means started by Calvary Chapel alone, but it got the most publicity because of the Time article, Love Song and Lonnie Frisbee), the movie was not a bad depiction of what the Holy Spirit did 50 years ago that changed the American church. More personally, it depicted the roots of a movement that spread across the U.S., eventually bringing both Donna…

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What does election day really decide?

Today is a big day for the world. Perhaps bigger than most understand. In a time where internal divisions are so marked, and the temptation to align with a “side” against others is so strong, those of us who claim to follow a King need to stop and ask ourselves a few questions: Regardless of what we say, do our words and actions speak to our loyalty to the Kingdom of God, or to a specific group of Americans? Are we praying daily for the…

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