Blog
Almost 50 years ago, in my first few months of pastoring, I was sitting around a table with five other young and inexperienced pastors. We were in a small meeting room at Montana State University in Billings, Montana. Seated with us was Jerry Cook, pastor of East Hill...
In my normal morning routine, I am awake before the first light of the morning appears in the sky. In those pre-dawn mornings, I can hear birds begin to sing as they anticipate the coming dawn. Recently, I’ve been listening to instrumental worship music to...
There is more to a verse than just its opening line. Surrounding passages of Scripture give us a broader view of what the verse is addressing. Take the first part of Psalm 46:10, for example: “Be still and know that I am God.” The surrounding context...
In the small coastal town of Brookings, Oregon, not far from where Jan and I live, is a unique and impactful story of forgiveness from both sides of World War II. From a website called The Historian’s Den, I read the following: In September 1942, a lone Japanese...
When our kids were in grade school, we pastored a wonderful church on the Oregon Coast for several years. Coastal towns can be great places to live, and our family still looks back on those years with great warmth and affection. Shortly after we arrived in Newport, we...
I have thought a lot about “finishing well” in this life. In the ‘80’s, a study was made of leaders across the board who finished well, both in the present day and in the Scriptures. Only 35 percent finished well. The definition of finishing well was determined by: 1)...
When Solomon became king, he had a dream encounter with the Lord (see 1 Kings 3:5-13). The Lord asked Solomon a question. “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!” Solomon responds, “I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around. Give me an...
Many years ago, when I was a student at Ministries Institute at Faith Center in Eugene, Oregon, I learned a valuable lesson about sermon preparation from my pastor, Roy Hicks, Jr. Roy was a profound teacher of God’s Word and Kingdom. Roy’s focus on Kingdom preaching...
We can go God’s way or our way when we deal with leaders. These are people who, like all of us, have limitations, faults, and errors. Some, however, are motivated by works of darkness. God’s way is to stand for what is good and right, to speak the truth in love, to...
As a young 19-year-old in the middle of the Jesus Movement, I was like so many other young people at that time. We were all searching for something. The summer of 1969 was an unusual time in the culture of the United States. Everything was changing....
As turmoil increases among the nations, it’s important to understand that it’s nothing new. It has been taking place throughout human history and will continue until the Lord returns. After Paul spoke to the Stoic and Epicurean philosophers in Athens, they took...
There have been some strange beliefs about food. Some still hold onto Old Covenant restrictions that no longer exist in the New Covenant. Jesus said, “Food doesn’t go into your heart but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.” (By saying this,...
I recall the first time I witnessed someone publicly challenge an evil spirit. It took place in the late 70’s at Faith Center, our home church in Eugene, Oregon. Jan and I had been attending the services for only a short time. Before the service began, our pastor, Roy...
Many of us have felt a sobering seriousness in these days. There is an intensity in the times we are living in. It’s not “business as usual.” We are told to be alert for strategic, opportune times of demonic attacks. This is no time to play games. The consequences of...
In 1981, when Jan and I journeyed to Montana with our children to plant our first church, we had no idea what we were doing. We simply had a word from God and decided to act upon that word in faith....