Pastor Greg Glover's Blog

 This is a guest post by my father, Mitchell Glover. He pastors a thriving church in Sterling, AK: if you’d like to listen to him preach – you can do so here.

Christmas time in the elementary classroom when I was a teacher always seemed bright and colorful. Lots of creative writing was generated by the season. The Clarion published a special edition insert featuring writing by the students. It was interesting for adults and fun for the students to see their stories, poems, and even artwork published in the paper.

One year, ministers were invited to write about Christmas in twenty-five words or less. Many area pastors responded, and I submitted the following:

A baby came, divinely effective for giving hope; infant Jesus, kindly loving me, neighbors, other people; quintessential redeeming savior, truth unfolding victoriously with exuberant Yuletide zeal.

Continue Reading…

Joseph was a man with a plan.

The task that was set before him was vast.

For 7 years the earth was going to bring forth a great harvest of food. The 7 years that follow were going to be barren and the land would be consumed with famine.

Joseph had to store up food during the first 7 years to help all mankind through the 2nd 7 years of drought.

The task set before all churches is to reach as many people as possible before the rapture of the church. We dream of huge facilities, thriving ministries, and teaming thousands of people changed with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

How?

Joseph built storehouses to hold his future harvest. The facilities were in place. How are we going to fill them up Joseph?

How are we going to make Jesus Famous in our cities?

Continue Reading…

 This is a guest post by my father, Mitchell Glover. He pastors a thriving church in Sterling, AK: if you’d like to listen to him preach – you can do so here.

Beautifully wrapped boxes with ribbons and bows sat under Christmas trees just a few days ago. Kids anticipated opening those presents to play with the toys inside. Ironically, sometimes they ended up playing with the boxes.

The colorful Christmas decorations are now being stored in boxes. Retailers put storage containers on sale to accommodate the need for space to store all these things. Artificial trees, wreaths, Santa, Frosty, and all the rest will sit quietly in storage until next season. Manger scenes with angels, shepherds, and wise men all crowded around the Christ child with Mary and Joseph will also be stored away. These visual representations of a wonderful event that changed the world will again be displayed next Christmas.

Continue Reading…

It doesn’t take long to acclimate to salvation. We readily pick up habits, rituals, and even religion. Worship services become robotic, and our circle of friends slowly begins to constrict.

We lose contact with the outside world. Our old friends fade into the distant past. We are now ushers and help from time to time with setup and operations. Our unique gifting is becoming apparent and we are emerging as disciples of Jesus Christ.

In walk Jim and Pam from a life of sin to the altars of salvation. Really, they should have dressed nicer since they knew they were coming to church. They sat outside of the area I usually do my meet and greet in, so I just kind of glanced at them and nodded my head.

The worship service was decent. I knew the songs by heart and prayed for exactly fifteen seconds between each one. I didn’t really feel up to exerting too much effort today; my week has been hectic. The kids have been crazy and well you get the idea.

Continue Reading…

My father knows how to dress. He looks great in a suit, and knows what suits to buy to match his color. I think that’s great. He also knows that you buy quality, because quality looks better and literally will last you a lifetime.

So him and I were out suit shopping the other day. He grabbed a couple of suits and we headed to the checkout counter. This suit shop is well known. We paid for them, and the attendant handed both suits over the counter in a dry cleaning bag. Not a suit bag. Not even something partially resembling class. We had just laid down some decent coin for these suits and we get them in a dry cleaning bag. You have got to be kidding me! I expected the attendant to act like what we just purchased was the missing ingredient to our skin. At least hint that his suit somehow is going to make our life better. The costly suit came in a cheap dry cleaning bag. Continue Reading…

I don’t know if you have noticed, but the quality of Bible’s and their bindings have plummeted considerably. Back in my father’s younger years, he had Bibles bound in sealskin, goatskin, and the like. Now the options are either pleather (fake leather), or bonded leather (these Bibles “work in” about as good as a cardboard baseball mitt). My life changed 2 years ago when I stumbled onto a group of guys that are passionate about Bibles and their bindings. I was introduced to full yapp (which is when the edges of the Bible touch all the way around the Bible, thereby protecting the pages while looking organic), goatskin, calfskin, and deerskin; by makers such as, R L Allan, and Cambridge.

I found Local Church Bible Publishers to be an outstanding resource. They only offer KJV, but their bibles are top notch. The executive and designer series are made of calfskin and top-grain cowhide, leather lined, and come with 2 ribbons. Their prices are amazing (their most expensive bibles are $57), and I highly recommend them to anybody looking for a bible that will last a lifetime.

To me a well worn bible is a treasure. Your notes are written in the margin and you can find Amos on Sunday mornings without having to search for twenty minutes. If your cover is falling apart and your pages are coming loose, there is hope! I have found Leonards Books to be a great re-binder. They have an excellent selection of supple leather covers, and they can re-cord your loose pages. The one issue I have with them is they don’t use leather lining. That may not be a big deal to you, and if it’s not, go for it! Your old bible will have new life, and ultimately your children will have the honor of receiving your note filled bible someday.

I now own two goatskin, one deerskin, two calfskin, and one lambskin Bible. Leather lined Bibles are like liquid in your hand, and now they are a must for any Bible I pursue. And of course, full yapp, is something I can’t live without. Ribbons? One isn’t enough, neither are two. I generally have three or four. This little tribe of Bible gurus has changed my perspective about Bibles altogether. Continue Reading…

The book of Jonah includes some amazing stories for only being forty-eight verses. Short, sweet, and succinct. Ship rides, whales, worms, and revival. The whale steals the highlight reels, but don’t overlook the revival.

God proclaimed through the ever-reluctant prophet Jonah He was going to destroy the city of Ninevah in 40 days. The preaching was subpar at best. There wasn’t any resolution in the message after the conflict was delivered. Laced with judgment, the message declared Ninevah would be destroyed. There were no ifs, ands, or buts. You are going to be destroyed, period, exclamation point.

How do you have revival when the prophet doesn’t even want you to survive the upcoming onslaught from God? How do you have revival when there isn’t a promise of reversal? Ninevah shows you how.

1. Bet on a merciful God. Jonah 3:9 – who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? There mentality was measured by their view of a merciful God. We don’t know if this will work, but let’s give it a shot. What do we have to lose? So what if the doctor said there is no hope, let’s pray anyway. It doesn’t matter that our city seems to be getting worse, let’s believe anyway. Maybe we will step out in audacious faith and nothing will happen – so what. Lets quit betting on failure and start believing in a God that just may give us favor. Continue Reading…

Christian semantics. These are little loopholes that some use to make themselves feel ok for pushing the limits. This includes: Christian cuss words (saying something that sounds like the real thing), prayer gossip (tell me what’s going on so I can pray about it), white-lies (wording that bypasses the fact that you did indeed sin).

Semantics are dangerous. You can learn to say phrases that get you around the actual truth. They ease your conscience, all the while seducing you into deeper sin.

For instance: Proverbs 18:8 – the words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

Many people are guilty of living out this scripture. But with semantics, they find a way around it. They type it out rather than speaking it. Therefore, they feel they aren’t in violation of this scripture. Instead of calling somebody on the phone, they air out their message on facebook, twitter, text-messages, etc.

This is sin. This is slander. This is wrong.

God had struck Zachariah dumb for his unbelief. God promised him that Elizabeth his wife would have a child in her old age. He couldn’t believe it, so God removed his ability to talk. 9 months later the baby was born. 8 days after that, the family assembled to give this baby its name.

Luke 1:62 – And they made signs to his father (remember Zachariah can’t talk), how he would have him called.

Luke 1:63 – And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John.

Continue Reading…

There is no such thing as cookie cutter Christians. Spiritual growth is more organic than orthodox. People are people. They all have their own story. The church is more mosaic than model.

Some people receive Jesus and allow Him to renovate their lives rapidly. Others come to consider the matter awhile before they concede. Some people, working through great hurt and distrust, spend years around the gospel before they get it and get in.

Speaking of the gospel, it still is the good news to a lost world. It says that no matter your story, you can be a part of His story. The next chapter of your life can be filled with His life and His hope, if you become a part of HIStory. We are called to give people the good news. Yes, you are a sinner. But, Jesus loved you enough to take on your sin, die on the cross for your sin, so you could get out of sin, and live a victorious life over sin.

Noah was one called to call all mankind into the ark. The ark was God’s mode of salvation. Noah preached and compelled – and then did it again. The bible says that Noah preached that gospel for 120 years. And when the call came to come in, Noah waited by the door as fast (cheetah) and slow (turtle) animals made their way into the ark.

Continue Reading…

Introspection is tough and humbling. This personal interrogation into the ingredients of your own self can be very intimidating. As you view your tasks, vision, and goals, through the lens of your personal talents: many times we feel inadequate.

Paul even went through this process and asked the question, “Who is sufficient for these things?” Moses asked, “Who am I?” So did Gideon. The best and the brightest in the bible all had times of intimidation and insecurity.

I often go through these moments of self-doubt. I know that God called me to Spokane, but He doesn’t have much to work with, when it comes to my personal talents and abilities. When I consider my vision of thousands of people in the “509” coming to Jesus, and becoming disciples; I feel inferior to the task.

However, I was strengthened recently by reading a parable in Matthew 13:44. A man finds a treasure in a field, and desires to purchase it. The bible never says what the treasure was, or its price tag. The man simply sold all that he had and purchased this treasure. I don’t know how much he had, but what he had was enough!

Whatever the godly treasure is that you desire – it will cost all you have. But be reassured that all you have is enough!

Continue Reading…