by Roger Ross | Jul 26, 2024 | Blog
“I’ve never heard or felt anything when I pray. It’s like I’m talking to myself.” The words tumbled out in a recent conversation that suddenly felt like a confession. All my friend wants is a real relationship with God, one he can feel that involves a two-way...
by Roger Ross | Jul 19, 2024 | Blog
Have you ever enjoyed waiting? Me neither. I think to myself, “I don’t have time for this. I have stuff to do!” My internal clock seems perpetually set to “hurry.” But I’ve noticed in more recent years that God doesn’t have that setting. God’s setting is far slower,...
by Roger Ross | Jul 12, 2024 | Blog
Be. Be still. Be With. Be in. It was the counsel my spiritual director gave as I started a 5-day silent retreat a while back. After an excessively busy season provoked by unprecedented change, he could see God was calling me to stillness. “When we get more connected...
by Roger Ross | Jul 4, 2024 | Blog
Something in every human heart yearns to be free. Deep down, we desire to unlock the door, break the shackles and walk unencumbered into a limitless future. We don’t want structures or organizations or authority figures to tell us what we can and can’t do. We want...
by Roger Ross | Jun 14, 2024 | Blog
Some children were asked, “What is love?” One little girl answered, “Love is when your mommy reads you a bedtime story. True love is when she doesn’t skip any pages.” A few summers ago I took a youth group on a mission trip to Ashland,...
by Roger Ross | Jun 7, 2024 | Blog
The apostles (Jesus’ disciples who had been sent out to teach and heal) gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going…they did not even have a chance to eat. Mark 6:30-31 How would you like...
by Roger Ross | May 31, 2024 | Blog
As I walked through the gates, I felt as though I had stepped back in time. It was my first visit to Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. This 1880’s theme park in the heart of Ozark country was filled with rides, shows, and period craftsmanship that transported...
by Roger Ross | May 23, 2024 | Blog, Discernment, Prayer
Things are not always as they appear. Soon after arriving as their new pastor, I was delighted to meet an energetic young couple in the church. They invited me to their home, spoke glowingly about what I could bring to their church and helped me get connected in the...
by Roger Ross | May 9, 2024 | Blog
It was like a scene from a movie. As a director of new church development, I went to a church that had closed several months before. A couple of colleagues and I were there to assess the building and its potential for launching a new congregation. None of us were...
by Roger Ross | May 4, 2024 | Blog
In his book, Why I Am Still Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, Jack Deere describes a poignant moment during a service of healing. An articulate woman who was chronically depressed came forward and asked for prayer. She said, “I finally figured out the true nature...
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