I can’t seem to let go of the idea that God gets great pleasure out of taking nothing or very little, and doing great things with it. From the beginning we see Him creating something from nothing. He formed man out of dirt and yet the Bible says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Something happens when God breathes on dirt. Something happens when Jesus asks His Father to bless a few fish and some loaves of bread. …read more
https://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.png00Lisa Cookehttps://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.pngLisa Cooke2014-10-15 19:02:532023-04-10 14:48:40Little is How Much? by Lisa Cooke
One of the highest compliments I have ever received was said in a somewhat funny/sarcastic way: “You’re a Kid Magnet!” You’ve probably heard the phrase “money magnet” used to describe someone who seems to have money coming to him easily and in abundance. Likewise, a children’s minister is most effective when he or she is a Kid Magnet, someone a child is attracted to. …read more
https://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.png00Lisa Cookehttps://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.pngLisa Cooke2014-10-15 19:02:522023-04-10 14:48:40Are You a Kid Magnet?
This verse, applied in the context of the local church, can encourage pastors and department heads to take heed to the health and well-being of the workers who serve under their supervision. It can apply to every part of the local body, but in this article I want to focus on children’s workers. …read more
https://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.png00Lisa Cookehttps://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.pngLisa Cooke2014-10-15 19:02:512023-04-10 14:48:40Building Each Other Up In Love by Lisa Cooke
I was thinking recently about what God feels when we don’t obey Him, stay in fellowship with Him, or when we are oblivious to him and neglect Him. A number of human emotional words went through my head such as disappointed, angry, disgusted, displeased. The Old Testament says so much about how the children of Israel angered Him with their disobedience to the point that we can get the idea that God is always angry with us because we don’t always do things His way. …read more
https://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.png00Lisa Cookehttps://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.pngLisa Cooke2014-10-15 19:02:512023-04-10 14:48:40Denied by Lisa Cooke
John 15:9: “As the Father has loved Me, so have I you.” Jesus just chose the highest possible expression He knows of to tell us how He feels about us. In our minds, this phrase is a nice way to say He loves us, easy to read over quickly. But in Jesus’ mind, the way the Father in Heaven loves Him has no match. …read more
https://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.png00Lisa Cookehttps://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.pngLisa Cooke2014-10-15 19:02:502023-04-10 14:48:40Abiding in the Father’s Love by Lisa Cooke
I heard the Lord tell me that this week. While studying on His constant Presence within the life of a child of God, He simply said something I’ve known in my head as long as I can remember, but not always experienced. He is always here, within as well as without. His Presence, though, is not always verified by our earthly, physical senses, as helpful as they are most times. …read more
https://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.png00Lisa Cookehttps://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.pngLisa Cooke2014-10-15 19:02:502023-04-10 14:48:41I’m Here. I’m Always Here by Lisa Cooke
Have you ever taught what you believed was a good message… you knew that the content was good, but it just didn’t seem to “connect” with the people? I don’t know about you, but I’ve found myself frustrated on several occasions feeling like I’d shared good information, but it didn’t seem I’d really done an adequate job of expressing it in a relevant, practical way that truly connected with the hearts of the listeners. …read more
If you are a pastor, are you feeling overwhelmed by all the expectations and demands of ministry? Do you need to take some tangible steps toward personal health and wholeness? If you are a church member who cares about your pastor, are you doing what you can do to make sure that your pastor is receiving all the help and support necessary for him or her to do the job well? …read more
https://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.png00Tony Cookehttps://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.pngTony Cooke2014-10-15 19:02:472021-01-19 03:59:41Why Am I So Tired?
Since the Church is ordained to help get people ready for eternity, we thought you’d want to see this. One trend we’re seeing is an increasing hunger among many pastors for greater evangelism and soul-winning from their churches, and we trust this information can be a helpful tool toward that end. …read more
If you dig a bit deeper into the historical record, you discover that these two great preachers, even though they had been close friends at Oxford, were often in sharp disagreement with each other. Wesley held strongly to Arminian beliefs (emphasizing free will), while Whitfield was a Calvinist (emphasizing predestination). Both men led countless thousands to faith in Christ, but they were at odds theologically. …read more
https://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.png00Tony Cookehttps://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.pngTony Cooke2014-10-15 19:02:462021-01-19 04:10:04Wesley vs. Whitfield: Brothers in Conflict
We consistently see a yearning in pastors for greater results. Every pastor wishes there were more people in attendance. If they have 50 people, they want 100. If they have 500, they want 1,000. If they have 5,000, they want 10,000. In addition to the desire for greater quantity, every pastor desires greater quality in the spiritual lives of their people. …read more
There is a great need in this day for ministers to differentiate between the negotiable and the non-negotiable, between style and substance. I love the statement from Thomas Jefferson: “In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock.” Solomon was focusing on the aspects which should not change when he said, “Do not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have set” (Proverbs 22:28). …read more
A New York family bought a ranch out west where they intended to raise cattle. Friends came to visit and asked if the ranch had a name. “Well,” said the would-be-cattleman, “I wanted to call it the Bar-J, my wife favored the Suzy-Q, one son liked the Flying-W, and the other son wanted the Lazy-Y. So, we’re calling it the “Bar-J-Suzy-Q-Flying-W-Lazy-Y.”…read more
https://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.png00Tony Cookehttps://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.pngTony Cooke2014-10-15 19:02:442021-01-19 04:06:46Will Your Church Survive the Branding?
We know that ministry has its challenges, and we trust that you are abounding in grace as you work for Him. I remember hearing one minister say that the requirements for ministry are: the heart of a child, the mind of a scholar, and the hide of a rhinoceros. Speaking of the toughness that ministry requires, Martin Luther once said, “A preacher must be both soldier and shepherd. He must nourish, defend, and teach; he must have teeth in his mouth and be able to bite and fight.” …read more
In Genesis 26, we read about how God greatly prospered Isaac. But the blessings he experienced were not received without challenges. Genesis 26:15 says that, “…the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth. …read more
https://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.png00Tony Cookehttps://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.pngTony Cooke2014-10-15 19:02:432021-01-19 04:12:19Digging Out Your Stopped-Up Wells
As a good “pastor” and father, Jacob knew he couldn’t drive his flock and his children just to keep up with the expectations of Esau. He wasn’t going to allow a sense of comparison and competitiveness to dictate the way he discharged his responsibilities as a leader. He then stated that he would have to establish a pace that was best for those under his care. …read more
https://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.png00Tony Cookehttps://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.pngTony Cooke2014-10-15 19:02:422021-01-19 04:13:10Who is Setting the Pace for Your Ministry?
A few years ago when I was preparing to teach at an overseas ministers’ conference, the host missionary asked if I could teach not only on “How to be a Timothy,” but also along the lines of “How to be a Paul.” He explained that there was a significant rift in his country between spiritual fathers and spiritual sons. …read more
In recent years, we’ve seen vivid examples of secular leaders, high profile sports figures, and even ministers having their world implode because they were leading a secret life (or double life). Such disclosures not only provide fodder for tabloid news, but leave a legacy of shattered trust, and the people close to them reeling in shock, pain, and disillusionment. …read more
I continue to be amazed at the many hats pastors are expected to wear. Overseeing a corporation and a staff requires a pastor to have a certain degree of executive and managerial abilities. Leading a spiritual army calls for a pastor to exhibit the discipline and motivational skills of a military leader. …read more
https://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.png00Tony Cookehttps://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.pngTony Cooke2014-10-15 19:02:412021-01-19 04:18:04A Sense of Him
A “Psychology Today” survey asked, “If you could secretly push a button and thereby eliminate any person with no repercussions to yourself, would you press that button?” 69% of men and 56% of women responding to this poll said yes! I wonder how many pastors would like to have this “button” for just a few minutes? …read more
https://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.png00Tony Cookehttps://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.pngTony Cooke2014-10-15 19:02:392021-01-19 04:21:49Would You Push the Button?
In biblical times, different rights of individuals were commonly understood and even articulated in Scripture. Rights existed not only for the firstborn and for citizens, but special rights were established for orphans, widows, and even foreigners. The prophets often decried injustice, or the depriving of different rights that resulted in the oppression of certain groups. God’s ideal, though, was that justice reign and for the rights of all people to be respected. …read more
One of the issues that every church staff must address pertains to partnership and teamwork in the pulpit. There are situations where various ministers blend well together and provide well-rounded ministry to the congregation. In other situations, jealousy and competition among staff creates problems in the congregation. …read more
https://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.png00Tony Cookehttps://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.pngTony Cooke2014-10-15 19:02:382021-01-19 05:00:51Teamwork in the Pulpit – Guidelines for Staff Members who Preach
If it weren’t for the devil and the difficult circumstances of life, some Christians wouldn’t even have a prayer life. If there are problems or a crisis in their life, they turn to God. But if everything is going well, they quickly become complacent in their spiritual activities. ..read more
https://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.png00Tony Cookehttps://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.pngTony Cooke2014-10-15 19:02:372021-01-19 05:07:04Being a Proactive Pastor
10. I think the Pastor’s home could use two more bathrooms, a swimming pool, and a hot tub. 9. So what if the Pastor’s son put some fish in the baptistery. Kids are kids! Don’t worry about it. 8. I think it’s great how the Pastor’s kids squirm and wiggle during church services. It shows their IQ’s are way above average. I wish all our kids were as active. ..read more
https://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.png00Tony Cookehttps://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.pngTony Cooke2014-10-15 19:02:362021-01-19 05:06:53Top 10 Comments a Pastor Would Like to Hear at a Board Meeting
The following is adapted from a list developed by a minister* who would review it whenever he felt vulnerable to sexual temptation. He cited the following as reminders of the negative consequences a wrong moral choice could produce. Grieving the Lord who redeemed me. Dragging His sacred name into the mud. ..read more
https://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.png00Tony Cookehttps://tonycooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TCMLogo2022-300x138.pngTony Cooke2014-10-15 19:02:352021-01-19 05:07:28Reasons to Maintain Moral Purity
Little is How Much? by Lisa Cooke
I can’t seem to let go of the idea that God gets great pleasure out of taking nothing or very little, and doing great things with it. From the beginning we see Him creating something from nothing. He formed man out of dirt and yet the Bible says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Something happens when God breathes on dirt. Something happens when Jesus asks His Father to bless a few fish and some loaves of bread. …read more
Are You a Kid Magnet?
One of the highest compliments I have ever received was said in a somewhat funny/sarcastic way: “You’re a Kid Magnet!” You’ve probably heard the phrase “money magnet” used to describe someone who seems to have money coming to him easily and in abundance. Likewise, a children’s minister is most effective when he or she is a Kid Magnet, someone a child is attracted to. …read more
Building Each Other Up In Love by Lisa Cooke
This verse, applied in the context of the local church, can encourage pastors and department heads to take heed to the health and well-being of the workers who serve under their supervision. It can apply to every part of the local body, but in this article I want to focus on children’s workers. …read more
Denied by Lisa Cooke
I was thinking recently about what God feels when we don’t obey Him, stay in fellowship with Him, or when we are oblivious to him and neglect Him. A number of human emotional words went through my head such as disappointed, angry, disgusted, displeased. The Old Testament says so much about how the children of Israel angered Him with their disobedience to the point that we can get the idea that God is always angry with us because we don’t always do things His way. …read more
Abiding in the Father’s Love by Lisa Cooke
John 15:9: “As the Father has loved Me, so have I you.” Jesus just chose the highest possible expression He knows of to tell us how He feels about us. In our minds, this phrase is a nice way to say He loves us, easy to read over quickly. But in Jesus’ mind, the way the Father in Heaven loves Him has no match. …read more
I’m Here. I’m Always Here by Lisa Cooke
I heard the Lord tell me that this week. While studying on His constant Presence within the life of a child of God, He simply said something I’ve known in my head as long as I can remember, but not always experienced. He is always here, within as well as without. His Presence, though, is not always verified by our earthly, physical senses, as helpful as they are most times. …read more
Yearning to Connect
Have you ever taught what you believed was a good message… you knew that the content was good, but it just didn’t seem to “connect” with the people? I don’t know about you, but I’ve found myself frustrated on several occasions feeling like I’d shared good information, but it didn’t seem I’d really done an adequate job of expressing it in a relevant, practical way that truly connected with the hearts of the listeners. …read more
Why Am I So Tired?
If you are a pastor, are you feeling overwhelmed by all the expectations and demands of ministry? Do you need to take some tangible steps toward personal health and wholeness? If you are a church member who cares about your pastor, are you doing what you can do to make sure that your pastor is receiving all the help and support necessary for him or her to do the job well? …read more
The Worldwide Mortality Rate: A Sobering Visual
Since the Church is ordained to help get people ready for eternity, we thought you’d want to see this. One trend we’re seeing is an increasing hunger among many pastors for greater evangelism and soul-winning from their churches, and we trust this information can be a helpful tool toward that end. …read more
Wesley vs. Whitfield: Brothers in Conflict
If you dig a bit deeper into the historical record, you discover that these two great preachers, even though they had been close friends at Oxford, were often in sharp disagreement with each other. Wesley held strongly to Arminian beliefs (emphasizing free will), while Whitfield was a Calvinist (emphasizing predestination). Both men led countless thousands to faith in Christ, but they were at odds theologically. …read more
Two Observations About Pastors
We consistently see a yearning in pastors for greater results. Every pastor wishes there were more people in attendance. If they have 50 people, they want 100. If they have 500, they want 1,000. If they have 5,000, they want 10,000. In addition to the desire for greater quantity, every pastor desires greater quality in the spiritual lives of their people. …read more
Style vs. Substance
There is a great need in this day for ministers to differentiate between the negotiable and the non-negotiable, between style and substance. I love the statement from Thomas Jefferson: “In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock.” Solomon was focusing on the aspects which should not change when he said, “Do not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have set” (Proverbs 22:28). …read more
Will Your Church Survive the Branding?
A New York family bought a ranch out west where they intended to raise cattle. Friends came to visit and asked if the ranch had a name. “Well,” said the would-be-cattleman, “I wanted to call it the Bar-J, my wife favored the Suzy-Q, one son liked the Flying-W, and the other son wanted the Lazy-Y. So, we’re calling it the “Bar-J-Suzy-Q-Flying-W-Lazy-Y.”…read more
Staying Spiritually Fit
We know that ministry has its challenges, and we trust that you are abounding in grace as you work for Him. I remember hearing one minister say that the requirements for ministry are: the heart of a child, the mind of a scholar, and the hide of a rhinoceros. Speaking of the toughness that ministry requires, Martin Luther once said, “A preacher must be both soldier and shepherd. He must nourish, defend, and teach; he must have teeth in his mouth and be able to bite and fight.” …read more
Digging Out Your Stopped-Up Wells
In Genesis 26, we read about how God greatly prospered Isaac. But the blessings he experienced were not received without challenges. Genesis 26:15 says that, “…the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth. …read more
Who is Setting the Pace for Your Ministry?
As a good “pastor” and father, Jacob knew he couldn’t drive his flock and his children just to keep up with the expectations of Esau. He wasn’t going to allow a sense of comparison and competitiveness to dictate the way he discharged his responsibilities as a leader. He then stated that he would have to establish a pace that was best for those under his care. …read more
Ten Traits of Spiritual Fathers
A few years ago when I was preparing to teach at an overseas ministers’ conference, the host missionary asked if I could teach not only on “How to be a Timothy,” but also along the lines of “How to be a Paul.” He explained that there was a significant rift in his country between spiritual fathers and spiritual sons. …read more
Secrets
In recent years, we’ve seen vivid examples of secular leaders, high profile sports figures, and even ministers having their world implode because they were leading a secret life (or double life). Such disclosures not only provide fodder for tabloid news, but leave a legacy of shattered trust, and the people close to them reeling in shock, pain, and disillusionment. …read more
A Sense of Him
I continue to be amazed at the many hats pastors are expected to wear. Overseeing a corporation and a staff requires a pastor to have a certain degree of executive and managerial abilities. Leading a spiritual army calls for a pastor to exhibit the discipline and motivational skills of a military leader. …read more
Would You Push the Button?
A “Psychology Today” survey asked, “If you could secretly push a button and thereby eliminate any person with no repercussions to yourself, would you press that button?” 69% of men and 56% of women responding to this poll said yes! I wonder how many pastors would like to have this “button” for just a few minutes? …read more
Rights and Responsibilities
In biblical times, different rights of individuals were commonly understood and even articulated in Scripture. Rights existed not only for the firstborn and for citizens, but special rights were established for orphans, widows, and even foreigners. The prophets often decried injustice, or the depriving of different rights that resulted in the oppression of certain groups. God’s ideal, though, was that justice reign and for the rights of all people to be respected. …read more
Teamwork in the Pulpit – Guidelines for Staff Members who Preach
One of the issues that every church staff must address pertains to partnership and teamwork in the pulpit. There are situations where various ministers blend well together and provide well-rounded ministry to the congregation. In other situations, jealousy and competition among staff creates problems in the congregation. …read more
Being a Proactive Pastor
If it weren’t for the devil and the difficult circumstances of life, some Christians wouldn’t even have a prayer life. If there are problems or a crisis in their life, they turn to God. But if everything is going well, they quickly become complacent in their spiritual activities. ..read more
Top 10 Comments a Pastor Would Like to Hear at a Board Meeting
10. I think the Pastor’s home could use two more bathrooms, a swimming pool, and a hot tub. 9. So what if the Pastor’s son put some fish in the baptistery. Kids are kids! Don’t worry about it. 8. I think it’s great how the Pastor’s kids squirm and wiggle during church services. It shows their IQ’s are way above average. I wish all our kids were as active. ..read more
Reasons to Maintain Moral Purity
The following is adapted from a list developed by a minister* who would review it whenever he felt vulnerable to sexual temptation. He cited the following as reminders of the negative consequences a wrong moral choice could produce. Grieving the Lord who redeemed me. Dragging His sacred name into the mud. ..read more