I was raised as a Roman Catholic; our church leaders were priests and nuns—and the option of being a nun was never on my radar. When I became a born-again Christian, it was dramatic. Jesus radically changed my life! I loved Him. I loved following Him. …read more
Every one of us maintain multiple relationships. Some of them are great, some are good, some are bad, and a few may be downright ugly! Regardless of the state of our relationships, understanding and applying God’s Word to our life and relationships will help us find a higher degree of personal peace and fulfillment. …read more
If you want to start a fight in church, initiate a conversation about women preachers and within 45 minutes, you can split that church four ways! As every woman in a high profile role in the church knows, there are many different views on this subject. Those views often carry strong emotions. …read more
The Cross is always the path for believers who have decided to walk the straight path with Jesus. The Cross is never enjoyable, but it always results in resurrection. Therefore, believers today must be willing to face the Cross and believe for resurrection power to flow through them — even if it means they have to suffer the brunt of a changing society that has no tolerance for people who hold to an exclusionary faith or to fixed moral absolutes. …read more
Have you ever noticed that there are those in life, athletics and even business, that seem to have a fragrance of victory about them? It is as if they walk in an atmosphere and with the mindset of a perpetual winner. There is an air, a confidence and an expectation of success that seems to surround all that they do. We, as Christians, should have this kind of confidence. When you are part of a team that has a tradition of winning, you expect to win. …read more
It goes without saying that there is much that needs improvement in churches. Those of us who lead certainly need to be receptive to those needed changes. However, we live in a time when people are often looking for what they want, rather than what God has given. Chuck Colson said; “We live in a therapeutic age where everything is measured by how much I get out of it. …read more
Just like a seed that is planted in the ground, the devil wants to uproot truths of God’s Word before they bear fruit in us. So don’t be surprised by the challenges that come. Don’t let the difficulties conquer you. Don’t give your place of authority in Christ Jesus over to the devil by surrendering to the circumstances. In the midst of the raging storm, refuse to let go of God’s Word, for He will not relax His hold on you. …read more
Unfortunately, this question has arisen in the both the tax-exempt and for-profit world too many times in the last few years as large, respectable audit firms have failed to serve their function to fully inform the financial statement users about the activities of the organizations audited. Large publicly traded companies have failed under the shadow of accusations of audit failures. …read more
Vocational Callings in the Body of Christ Jen Tringale Jen ministers with a specific anointing to bring clarity and focus to the purpose of God in people’s hearts, and she […]
Agricola knew of 40 soldiers who were devout Christians and skilled in battle. In an attempt to force them to renounce their faith, Agricola said to the 40 men, “Either offer sacrifice to the gods and earn great honors, or, in the event of your disobedience, be stripped of your military rank and fall into disgrace.” The soldiers were thrown into prison to think about what Agricola had said. They encouraged themselves that night by singing psalms and praying. …read more
On a recent trip with my family to Disneyland, I was surprised to find several fresh fruit stands inside the park. Among the French fries, burgers, ice cream, and churros are these wonderful stands serving up fresh juice and sliced fruits. Fresh fruit stands may not bring visitors to the park, but the lines of people willing to pay $5.50 for a few slices of pineapple show me that they’re excited to have a healthy option. …read more
In many churches, visitors will attend church for the first time this week having the opportunity to make a decision on a number of things. Although they will not ask these questions, these questions will be the basis of their reason for visiting the church. …read more
So many Pastors live week-to-week, month to month and year to year just waiting to see where they’ll be in regards to church growth. In talking to many Pastor’s they truly have a desire to see numerical growth in their churches but just sit back and see how it all turns out without putting together a plan. How many would you like to increase by? …read more
Several years ago I taught a series to our church entitled “The Power of Vision.” I went into great detail about the importance of having a clear and concise vision for every aspect of life and committing it to writing. I explained that after your vision has been written, there would be times that you would need to do a vision revision. …read more
Arkaios, a Greek word meaning “beginning point”, is to be a place that seeks to serve and glorify Christ by renewing, refreshing and restoring the body, mind and spirit of those currently serving in full or part- time ministry anywhere around the world. For more information, contact Jeff or Mary Lee Meter at the phone number listed above. …read more
Valid Expenses for a Church or Ministry Mark Helland, CPA Mark Helland, CPA is a partner with the public accounting firm of Elliott, Dozier and Helland, PC (www.edhcpa.com) which is […]
Before pastoring, Mark traveled to several foreign countries, where he saw the hand of God move mightily. Besides pastoring the congregation, he has a heart to train up leaders in the Body of Christ. Mark is known for his sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. The Lord regularly gives him songs, hymns and spiritual songs that always bless and encourage the people. …read more
Your enemy loves to work in a shroud of secrecy. He likes to keep his tactics hidden. And people who use these “secret note strategies” are operating in an occult activity without realizing it. They are infantile in their faith and don’t know any better. Some think they are doing God a favor, without realizing the nature of the spirit that is actually motivating them. …read more
Two years ago we met Alfie Fabe of Mitchells Plain. He is an apostolic father to many in several nations. In the twenty minutes of our first meeting, one thing he said that struck a cord in my heart was, “There are two kinds of ministry: professional and relational.” Since then, I have contemplated this much and discussed it with Alfie and others. I have had a passion to be the latter, having been the former for many years. …read more
It took some time to see the congregation grab hold of the vision that God had given me. The church started before my wife and I had come there, and after we arrived it began to grow because of many committed people. Our Sunday morning services grew between 400-500 people, driving from an hour radius. …read more
The more we understand what sin is all about and how it works, the better equipped we are to break free from its control. Actually, people usually don’t like to talk about sin, and yet, understanding how it works gives us the advantage and the power to get free from it. Turning on the lights always chases away the darkness. …read more
Over the course of my career in working directly with pastors on their tax and personal finances I have seen a few “myths” that repeatedly come up in conversation and in practice. While I have seen other myths/misunderstandings of U.S. tax law in practice, the frequency of encountering the five “myths” listed below has led me proclaim these to be my personal “top five”. …read more
In this world, one thing is certain: there will be tough times. No one is immune to the pressures, problems and challenges of life. Relationship struggles, financial challenges, health concerns, and family problems are part of living in this world. …read more
It is an honor to be talking to you. I have gleaned much from Rev. Tony Cooke and the resources on this site. So it is a pleasure to help be a supply any way we can be. I suppose anyone in ministry could take something away from this article, but it is particularly designed for pastors taking over existing works. …read more
This article is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is shared with the understanding that neither the author nor Tony Cooke Ministries is engaged in rendering legal, accounting, psychological, medical or other professional services. …read more
