Author Archives: Matthew Winters

This pandemic has caused me to think a lot about the state of the church. I believe much about the church has already been exposed, and much will be revealed when we are on the other side of this. Some of what I will share will be more of a hopeful forecast, but I willContinue reading “State of the Church: Pre-, Mid-, and Post-COVID-19”

It’s amazing how difficulty directs our perspective. Our priorities are so distorted that it takes a very serious virus to make us do what we should have been doing all along. I should probably clarify what I don’t mean by that. We should not have been buying hundreds of dollars in toilet paper all thisContinue reading “What We Should Have Been Doing the Whole Time”

I must be honest. This virus is probably the biggest health concern I have seen in my lifetime. Many looked at this when it hit foreign countries and thought, “This will never hit the U. S.” It has. We have some who show no concern while others are stricken with fear. Where is the balanceContinue reading “Responding to the Coronavirus”

I worked for a pastor several years ago who loved to assign me to visit people he didn’t necessarily want to visit. I always knew I was in for a treat when either he or the secretary contacted me to visit a particular person. I went to the local hospital to visit this lady, soContinue reading “Do I Really Love God?”

Something got me thinking today. As I have been getting involved in a new ministry opportunity, I have had some good things happen. They have been slow, but they are good. But ONE negative thing caught my attention today, and I allowed it to bother me for a few hours. I really had to stopContinue reading “The Power of One”

This morning, we had a memorial service for a lady who had once attended our church until the last few years when she moved out of state. Her daughter and son-in-law faithfully attend our church. Because I participated in one of the musical selections, her daughter had a handwritten note of appreciation for my participationContinue reading “A Handwritten Note”

Let me just cut to the chase. If you disagree with someone, make it as public as possible, call them an idiot, and make them feel stupid for not seeing things your way. SERIOUSLY… How many of us are guilty of that? We immediately get on social media, let everyone know how angry we areContinue reading “The Proper Way to Disagree”

I could go a million different directions with this title. Most of the time when I hear this, people are upset about something. They won’t go back to a church because the preacher didn’t drive 500 miles to some hospital to be with their fifth cousin during an x-Ray. They won’t go back to aContinue reading “I Won’t Go Back!”

In 2 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul describes what he calls a “thorn in the flesh”. I would say most of us have this “thorn”. Some scholars believe it was Paul’s eyesight. I seem to think it was difficult people in ministry. I believe Paul did not say what it was so any of us couldContinue reading “Embracing the Thorn”

Let me clarify from the beginning that I am not implying or outright saying that Christians should not be well-known. Some of our greatest voices for Jesus Christ today are celebrities who happen to have a relationship with Jesus Christ and are unashamed. What I am discussing today are those who are little known outContinue reading “Christian Celebrities”