A few months ago I read a blog written by Ric Shewell titled: “Why I Left the Church of the Nazarene.” He was obviously disappointed in his experience with the processes of the Church of the Nazarene (CotN) and I sympathized with him. I thought to myself: I’ve been there and I know how he … Continue reading Why I Didn’t Leave the Church of the Nazarene
Bittersweet days… saying “goodbye” is usually bittersweet. When I preached my last sermon at Raleigh First Church, it was bittersweet. Now, just a few years later and I’ve preached my last sermon at Decatur First Church. These departures were bitter because it’s difficult to leave a place that gets it: a place that truly embodies … Continue reading I Love People
When people realize that they get to live a life they don’t deserve, when their life has been invaded by grace and they’re filled with gratitude, you know what happens? It begins to show. It begins to show in their faces because they smile more. It begins to show in their words because they’re kinder … Continue reading Generosity Flows Out
Gratitude is the natural by-product of grace. Yet, I know from experience how quickly I can forget God’s grace and start complaining. How easily my focus shifts from what I should be grateful for, to what I don’t have. Do you ever have to remind your kids about this? Have you ever had this conversation? … Continue reading Gratitude Fills Up
Grace… in Christian circles we throw around that word quite frequently. However, I’m not convinced that we really understand the magnitude of these five letters. There is so much in that one little word. We often take it for granted and we drastically understate it. It’s like calling the Grand Canyon a hole in the … Continue reading Grace Flows In
Once upon a time (a really long time ago), Christians in America celebrated the holidays leading up to Christmas with fellowship meals and gift giving in a spirit of love and generosity. The word “holiday” was initially derived from the phrase “holy day.” A holy day indicates a day that is ‘set apart’ or ‘sacred.’ … Continue reading Black Friday: Altar of Consumerism
China was quite the journey, exciting and fun, yet stressful and nerve-racking at the same time. The jet lag the first two days was extreme. We found ourselves wanting to sleep during the day and sitting up through the night. On the third day we met Kacey Xing-Yu Powell. The night before our meeting was … Continue reading Journey of Love
#1 – Everybody wants to be somebody. Every single person on the face of the earth has been wonderfully created in the image of God. Sin has distorted that image and our job as the church is to help people reconnect with a sense of self-worth. God is establishing his kingdom and the subjects of that … Continue reading Five Things About People
This picture really bothers me, but we’ll get back to that in a minute. Attention Deficit Disorder drives my wife crazy. Not because she’s ADD, but because I am. Someone recently described ADD as hearing five television sets going off in your head all at once. Think about this: every American views over thirty thousand different … Continue reading Consumer or Communer
A great man once said to me, “Pastor, the church is the biggest business in the world because it’s God’s business and it’s not like any other business.” If you could have done life with this man for even one day, you would have understood a man with a kingdom-mind and a servant-heart. The idea … Continue reading Under-Leader
Brian L Powell 