Mike Leake

I remember reading somewhere that a tiny band of coyotes have a way of making themselves sound much more numerous than they actually are. In fact, I think I heard that in a sermon illustration designed for encouraging pastors in the midst of conflict. Often when somebody comes to a pastor and says, “people are talking, pastor”, what they really mean is, “My three friends and I are talking and assume that most everyone else would be on our side too”. I’ve thought of that illustration often when I’ve had to field criticism. I’ve learned to ask for the names of the coyotes so that I can more … [Read more...] about The Coyote and Rightly Assessing Our Social Media Influence

Unless you live under a rock, you likely know somebody who battles depression. Actually if you live under a rock, you might be battling depression yourself. So often folks who don’t understand these periods of darkness feel like their hands are tied when trying to help a friend. It feels like nothing you say really gets through or helps. Back in the seventeenth century a minister in London, Timothy Rogers, had suffered with a serious bout of depression. When God rescued him out of that pit he jotted down his thoughts into a little book. In the 1800s, Archibald Alexander picked up that book … [Read more...] about 13 Helps For When a Friend Battles Depression

Conflict stinks. I don’t know many pastors that love conflict. It steals your time, saps your energy, and plunders many of your resources. Most pastors also know how they could avoid conflict—they are discerning enough to know the status quo. They could easily go with the crowd and preach to the “Amen’s”. False peace is a tantalizing lure. I think about that sometimes when I read about the Reformation. Guys were being burned at the stake. When most people hear that Protestants were thrown in jail and burned at the sake during the Reformation period we assume it was because they were … [Read more...] about Brothers, We Are Called to Be Troublers of Israel

In the year that America died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. (Isaiah 6:1 ESV, modernized a bit) I confess this is a bit of an misstatement. I say that because the truth is the American experiment died a long time ago. Her death happened when “We the people” slowly morphed into “We the nation”. I’m referring mostly to the jingoism which rose out of the ashes of the Civil War and became entrenched in the American way of life somewhere around the McKinley administration. So, I’d argue that America died awhile back, we’ve … [Read more...] about In the Year That America Died

Repentance is one of those words that we throw around in churches without much thought to its meaning. Much of what we call repentance is likely more akin to how the Lord, through the prophet Jeremiah, described treacherous Judah: “[she] did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense”. Thankfully the Lord outlines for us in Jeremiah 3:22-25 what true repentance looks like. I see four major marks of biblical repentance. Repentance is coming to the LORD. “Behold, we come to you, for you are the LORD our God.” This means that true repentance is not simply a promise of moral … [Read more...] about Four Truths About Repentance

“What you do to reach them is what you’ll have to do to keep them.” I’ve taken this little maxim to heart. I believe it’s true. If people are won to the church through flashy junk then you’ll keep having to ramp it up in order to keep them. Folks will be entertained but few will actually be discipled. And yet I just encouraged our church to set aside funds to purchase a block party trailer complete with inflatables and games. How do these two fit together? Not the Reason I haven’t changed in my theology. I still believe that an attractional model of church not only doesn’t work, … [Read more...] about What Place Do Fun Events Have in the Local Church?

“Hey, bro, would you like to meet together on occasion and work through something like Calvin’s Institutes with me?” “Nah. I don’t follow men. I follow Christ. I’ve barely got time to read and so I just stick to my Bible reading. I don’t have time for the words of men.” — I could have replaced Calvin’s Institutes with any other Christian book and the point would be the same. On occasion I’ll encounter a superhero, whom I call Bible-Only Man. This superhero can quote Scripture like a champ. His knowledge of Old Testament stories could rival any OT scholar. You don’t dare play this guy … [Read more...] about Bible-Only Man

The desperate father makes the long journey to Jesus. His son has had uncontrollable seizures since he was but a toddler. Nothing has worked. Maybe Jesus can help. Much to his dismay, Jesus is gone and only the disciples are present. They’ve been commissioned to extend the ministry of Jesus–but still this is like a rookie surgeon doing risky brain surgery while the expert is on vacation. Dad brings his precious little boy to this band of Jesus followers in hopes that maybe they can do what Jesus has done. They’ve been trained to do this. They’ve been commissioned. They’ve even cast out … [Read more...] about Brothers, There is a Kind Which Only Comes Out By Prayer

I’ve been preaching through the gospel of Mark on Sunday mornings. Mark, perhaps more than the other gospel writers, wants the readers to see the disciples as the boneheads they were at times. So as you are reading through the gospel you can really shake your head at the disciples—wondering how in the world they could be so dense. In Mark 8 you’ve got the disciples on a boat freaking out because they forgot to bring enough bread. And this comes after Jesus had fed 5,000 and also after he has fed 4,000. He did all of this with a few measly loaves of bread and a couple fish. How in the world … [Read more...] about Every Year You Grow

Tucked away in John Bunyan’s little book on broken-heartedness was this little gem which relates to preaching: The Word of God, when in a man’s hand only, is like the father’s sword in the hand of the sucking child; which sword, though never so well pointed, and though never so sharp on the edges, is not now able to conquer a foe, and to make an enemy fall and cry out for mercy, because it is but in the hand of the child.   But now, let the same sword be put into the hand of a skilful father, and God is both skilful and able to manage his Word, and then the sinner, and then the proud … [Read more...] about Brothers, Our Daggers Won’t Do