Ben Woodward

It was a cold January morning when a violinist walked into a local metro station in Washington, D.C. The temperatures were not conducive to any kind of receptivity from the passing travelers, but he came anyway. The idea of busking in this kind of environment would roll the eyes of any serious musician (and this …

A Common Reason You May Be Missing God’s Voice Read More »

The election here in the U.S. is finally over. At least we thought it was. Half the country was disappointed and the other half rejoiced. Democracy happened. But then began the protests. And the riots. And the walkouts. And all of a sudden we began to wonder—what the heck is going on? Is this really …

Clearing Demonic Division Out of the Church Read More »

“Perfect.” That’s what I heard them say—73 degrees, no humidity, no clouds. The day was perfect. They were putting together a birthday party on the tables next to me and I kept hearing the same comment. “It’s a perfect day, isn’t it? Perfect! Nice amount of breeze, not too hot.” The people at the table …

Savoring God’s Goodness During Colossal Challenges Read More »

Yesterday was the last day of summer, at least for us. It was the last day the pool was open before it shut down for the year. Most of our summers involve a significant amount of swimming and this year was no different. So when the pool was finally closing down last night, it felt …

Cultivating Your Most Precious Gift From God Read More »

I remember a time when I went through the Gospels with the intention of noting every miracle that Jesus performed. It was quite an arduous task. With tools available on the internet, I probably could have just searched Google and found an appropriate answer to my question. I could have looked up commentaries or read …

The Secret to Seeing More of God’s Miracles in Your Life Read More »

There are days when it’s easy to think that you have everything under control. You don’t forget about God, but you don’t really invite Him into the moment-by-moment stuff. Life just happens and then life gets busy and then life becomes consuming to the point that you realize you haven’t even given a thought to …

Stave Off Spiritual Atrophy With These 3 Crucial Exercises Read More »

Imagine that you showed up to church on Sunday morning and everything was gone. The room had no stage. There were no speakers or amplification. No musical instruments. No video screens, no lights, no cameras. All you had was a room and a few people. Imagine there was nobody to watch your kids for you, …

Avoid Empty Religion With This Core Attitude Read More »

Elijah was a pretty incredible man. He was a prophet called by God to bring correction to King Ahab and his incredibly wicked wife Jezebel during a particularly rough period in ancient Israel. He saw many miracles in his life and was used mightily by the Lord to demonstrate the power of God to Israel. …

What Elijah Can Teach Us About Hearing God’s Voice Read More »

Over the years, I spent a lot of time flying from place to place to do my job. One of the things you quickly acquire when you fly is noise canceling headphones. The background noise on a plane can drive you crazy. The constant noise makes it especially hard to hear if you are trying …

Could This Be Drowning out the Holy Spirit’s Voice in Your Life? Read More »

There are times when our own words are insufficient. Our mouth feels like it is full of sawdust and our tongue feels like sandpaper because we don’t know how to respond to a crisis of this magnitude. But, for a multitude of reasons (good and bad), people will try. In trying they will do everything, …

19 Scriptures to Decree and Declare Over Orlando After Gay Nightclub Shooting Read More »

I know. It might seem a little bold of me to declare that I know how to attract God’s favor. It’s definitely not something you start a conversation with. “Hey, how are you? Good. By the way, I know how to attract God’s favor.” So in the interest of not sounding presumptuous, let me put …

How to Walk in God’s Favor Read More »

I was born in New Zealand and raised in the wonderful nation of Australia. What this means, however, is that I experienced a little culture shock when I first moved to the U.S. Some differences were obvious. Americans drive on the wrong side of the road. They like everything supersized. They are incredibly patriotic. Certain …

Why Heaven’s Culture May Shock You Read More »

Another bombing takes place, and suddenly the news is filled with images and stories that fill our hearts with fear. How could this happen again? Could it happen here? What are we supposed to do now? Take a step back. Remember the One who is in control of the nations. Remember the One who sits …

How to Pray When Terror Strikes Read More »

Weaponize – verb. Convert to use as a weapon A brick is nothing of great importance. It is made out of dirt and can be used for a variety of well-intentioned purposes. Many bricks can build a wall that could be used for safety. A lot more bricks could build an entire house. That house …

When Christians Weaponize God Read More »

The world loves a good controversy. The latest in a long line of hashtag controversies is the #OscarsSoWhite debacle. While I am not qualified to weigh in on that particular conversation, it does bring to mind another controversy that I am qualified to speak about. If #OscarsSoWhite, is #WorshipSoMusic? The language we use in any …

If #OscarsSoWhite, Is #WorshipSoMusic? Read More »