Blog
Most of us are aware of Paul's warning to Timothy about what will happen in the last days, "Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times, some will turn away from the true faith" (I Timothy 4:1). We quote this verse with regularity but fail to realize...
A reminder of past prophetic words spoken over someone is of greater value than hours of counseling. Counseling is primarily about helping individuals manage their emotions and respond effectively to life's challenges. A prophetic word is different. It leads us like a...
Yesterday, while I was sitting in our garden, the first butterfly of the year visited us. As I watched the butterfly perch atop a flower, I had enough time to capture its photo, and then it flew away. In grade school science class, we were taught about the process of...
A pastor wrote me a series of messages beginning at the start of the pandemic up until recently to let me know what I was writing was causing problems in his church and his family. In one message he said because I am no longer a pastor that I should remain silent...
In some cases, it is no longer the blind leading the blind. It is the blind leading an increasingly informed group of followers. This has created a disconnect wrongly discerned as rebellion. It is a winnowing work in the ranks of Church leadership initiated by the...
Yesterday, I cleaned out the accumulated ash inside our woodstove. After removing the ash, I stacked firewood inside the stove in preparation for the next burn. This morning it was warm enough to not fire up the stove. I will wait until tomorrow when the temperatures...
Perhaps an adjustment in our language would be in order regarding the popular phrase “Conspiracy Theory.” In some cases, it would be better to rewrite that phrase to read as “A-Yet-To-Be-Confirmed Theory.” To a highly programmed mind hearing that adjusted phrase will...
This week a WNBA player who was arrested for a drug offense and recently sentenced to prison in Russia was released in a prisoner exchange for a convicted arms dealer held in U.S. custody. Objections have been raised regarding the exchange since a Marine who has been...
Yesterday while in prayer, I saw an image of the United States. The image was of a person gasping for breath. They were choking to death because of lies they had been fed and willingly ingested. I was observing the first gasp in a process of suffocation that will...
I remember the first time I saw Jan walking across the campus at what was then known as Multnomah School of the Bible in Portland, Oregon. I remember the first time I heard her voice in a chance meeting. I remember the first time I caught her fragrance and our first...
I have mentored pastors and leaders within the Church for many years. I enjoyed that interaction. On one occasion, a pastor was struggling with what to do next in his ministry. Instead of creating some grand plan and mission statement, I took him to II...
I have some friends who raise sheep. They have several large dogs that are bred specifically to watch over their sheep. The dogs sound a barking alarm if anything approaches that could harm the sheep. If danger approaches, they will defend the sheep to the...
I write this knowing it will raise the hackles in those who have accepted, hook-line-and-sinker, everything their favorite news outlet broadcasts as the truth. That concern aside, I write it for those of us who teach, write, and post things about God so we can move...
In a few days, I will turn 73. Perhaps that is why I have been thinking lately about the final lap of my race of faith. Like you, I want to finish well. The race of faith we run must be examined from time to time to make sure we are running the right race with the...
While the signs of the times are worth watching and investigating, those signs do not reveal the complete will or plan of God. There are times when the mist of uncertainty clouds our ability to perceive what is happening in our world. It’s then that we must move...