Author Archives: Matthew Winters

I would dare say that the vast majority of people in churches are critical of preaching, and their preferences are as numerous as the stars in the sky. Some want loud preaching while others want soft preaching. Some want long preaching while others prefer brief sermons. The stronger criticism I hear in conservative circles isContinue reading “Is “Feel-Good Preaching” Wrong?”

“Let your words be few” (Ecclesiastes 5:2). The context of this verse tells us to avoid making hasty vows, especially to God. There is, however, some practical wisdom here. I’ll share it from my own personal experience. Hurt people HURT people. I wish I could say this didn’t apply to me, but it has. AContinue reading “Let Your Words Be Few”

Does anyone struggle with spending daily time in Scripture? You may do well for a while and then drop off in consistency after a while? Then you feel guilty for missing daily time in the Bible? You are not alone. I have been there over and over again. In this post, I want to shareContinue reading “An Honest Moment About Bible Study”

When COVID-19 hit and places began closing, it was prime time for the devil to prey upon me. As I mentioned in a previous post, the devil loves to attack when we are isolated. The attack took on a different twist. I was bombarded with tons of past memories. These were memories that hurt. MemoriesContinue reading “Grieving Losses”

Vulnerability has become a buzz word of the day. I remember hearing the word in a very negative context as I was growing up. I heard about vulnerability in the context of “Senior adults are vulnerable to telephone scams.” Fast forward twenty years, and now vulnerability is something that is praised. Is vulnerability always aContinue reading “The Pros and Cons of Vulnerability”

The devil’s work has been alive and well for a long time. We don’t have to look far to see it. But I want you to think about this. How does he attack you? The devil’s tactics are pretty lame. His playbook has not changed much at all through the years. The circumstances are different,Continue reading “Understanding and Addressing the Devil’s Tactics”

Seven years ago, I was pastor to this couple. From the time they met me on my trial weekend to determine whether I would be the next pastor of Tar Heel Baptist Church, Charlie and Jennifer loved my family and we loved them. I’ll never forget a Sunday night in February 2014 when my phoneContinue reading “The Call That Kept Me on Track”

I don’t doubt that many of you read this post title and thought, “Matthew has lost his mind!” My response – “You have stated the obvious😂.” Seriously. I would not label Bon Jovi a theologian, but his lyrics, “Oh, we’re halfway there. Oh, living on a prayer,” is right. The year is halfway over, andContinue reading “Bon Jovi Couldn’t Be More Accurate”

“For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,” (Colossians‬ ‭1:13‬ ‭NLT‬‬) There is not a single born again believer who does not have a rescue story or more than one. Sadly, we have fallen into the trap of comparing stories. I have heardContinue reading “My Rescue Story”

For many years, I have heard about things that would disqualify someone from doing something in Christian service. I have seen this taken to an extreme in Christian circles. I’ve seen churches allow a sexually promiscuous teenager (a non-member, I might add) to represent the church while denying someone who missed some services. They wouldContinue reading “Disqualified?”