Storms come in all different shapes and sizes, and they happen to all different kinds of people. They aren’t fun to go through, and often, we are much more interested in the destination than the journey. But what matters most is, when you come out on the other side, are you the same person you were when you stepped on the boat, or did you allow Christ to further mold you into his image?

More of God is available to those who are willing to press in and go further and deeper in prayer.  I was one that wanted to go deeper but didn’t know how. This blog post by Worship Director Eric Phillips is meant to help you with the “how” part!  

“I wanted so desperately to be involved that, as I got older, I became overextended without even noticing it. But I want to be laser-focused on making disciples that make disciples.”

Youth Director Mason Wilson writes about his earliest years in ministry.

Sadly, like Israel, believers and local churches alike, are tempted to ditch God after He has so richly blessed. While His blessings should reciprocate in praise and obedience to Him, instead, memory loss and confusion about how and why these blessings came about sets in. Subliminally, certain leaders in the ministry will conclude that their genius and efforts were and are the reason for the success being experienced.

If we are to trust what God’s word says, we will trust that he has preserved his word for us in our language. Every nation, tribe, and tongue after all. With this view of biblical authority we can reject Wright's subversive hermeneutic, where he twists the promises of God, the people of God, and the kingdom of God.

You and I are not called to redeem the world by atoning for its sin; we are called to take the next right and obedient step as a follower of Christ and proclaim and demonstrate the victory we have in Christ. That is what is divine about our new nature in Christ! You can make the decision to obey just like you did when you played Simon Says.

Accountability is not comfortable or easy, but to remove it from the discipleship process would be like removing the wings from an airplane and expecting it fly. In this post Pastor Kenny Morgan addresses the issue of transparency and sharpening in the the discipleship relationship.

People are always spouting off their reasons why they can’t submit to the word of God. They express their caveats, saying, “The word of God can’t have total authority in my life because I’m a democrat/republican/libertarian/this/that first.” In this post Pastor Sam Miles responds by addressing who we really are, who we have been made to be…in spite of all our excuses.

The world can never have peace in their lives until they have peace with God through salvation. The scripture is not giving us a suggestion to seek peace with “some men”, but rather with “all men”. I was making excuses based on my situations, but the scripture was crashing into my world because I was not sharing my peace—Jesus—with all men. I was saved, but I was afraid to declare Jesus, as it would separate me from the world.

Believe it or not, the Lord isn’t as concerned with how many people you are influencing as he is with your willingness to obey Him with all your heart. Pastor Beau Green discusses the perceived expectations verses the true expectations of leadership in God’s economy.

For 2,000 years, growing Christians have been looking to Timothy as a model for what their own personal faithfulness should look like. His testimony is particularly significant to young people because of his age as well as the manner in which his spiritual growth is displayed. We see the pattern of his life from one faith proposition to another, growing from a spiritual child to a developed pastor and leader at a young age.

For young adults, it is important to recognize the challenges the age with the intent that we choose to pursue the great commission regardless of culture’s obstacles. While notions about your generation may be pervasive, it is important to recognize that the Christian isn’t obligated to be in bondage to them. Because of biblical truth, the millennial Christian can live without being controlled by other people's thoughts.

This article is part of a three part series that discusses the need for our leaders to invest in the lives of future generations. Making Missionaries of Millennials pt 1: The Prejudice calls us to be aware of our own generational bigotry and points to a biblical philosophy to combat it.

In this post Pastor Alan Shelby uses scripture and historical record to dispel the unbiblical teachings of a sub-sect of replacement theology, the Black Hebrew Israel movement.

In this post, Pastor Brian Clark brings up a topic we all know too well – disappointment – and offers encouragement and a biblical response to it and all other trials in our lives.

In this post Pastor Brett Bartlett lays out what the Bible says about baptism, and shows that all physical baptisms are pictures of the one true spiritual baptism.

Every year, members of our family from OHBC attend Mission Focus here in Kansas City. OHBC also hosts a missions conference every year called Go Conference. Together these conferences signify the gravity of the Great Commission and the heart of the LFF pastors to pray, prepare, give and go. Joe takes some time here to share with us why Mission Focus is important and strategic in our personal lives.

In this post Pastor Kenny Morgan addresses what it means to put the "first things first", not allowing ourselves to be swayed or distracted from fellowship and ministry by our own opinions or social/political predispositions.

With “Christian” counseling methodologies ranging from contemplative prayer to splankna, the bible and bible principles have been ignored and distorted in a way that should be both disappointing and convicting to the disciple of Christ. In this blog post Pastor Troy Stogsdill discusses what it takes to be a true biblical counselor.

In this post Pastor Alan Shelby takes time to explain to us the dangers of charismatic theology, specifically the misinterpretation of the Holy Spirit's role in Christian living. He also shares for us a biblical perspective on how we might be able to live out a Spirit driven life.