Blog
When I was a young pastor, another pastor more experienced than I told me that one of the most concise representations of our faith is found in chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians. The importance of Christ’s resurrection is mentioned at great length in these verses. Paul...
When I read Paul’s description of the Corinthian church, it’s similar to what we see in the Western church today. The Corinthians boasted about their spirituality, but lacked a demonstration of what it meant to be consecrated—set apart to God. The leadership had...
I got saved when I was 8 years old. But it wasn’t until age 29 that I allowed Jesus to become my Lord. I knew that to be saved was a complete work, but it also meant I had entered a process of being saved from the things that stood in the way of my knowing...
Of late, people are tossing out the names "Hitler" or "Nazi" at some of the leaders in our nation and toward the people with whom they disagree politically. It is a demeaning and ill-informed practice. It's also the end of a mature conversation. Can you imagine living...
Amid the growing national division and turmoil taking place in America, the Church has been planted in each city to reverse a descent into greater expressions of evil. Our presence and witness have the power to turn the spiritual tide and bring hope for a better...
We are living in a time when expressing an opinion can make us a target for an insult. No one will be immune to these assaults. Some insults are expressed by a passive-aggressive personality that may sound legitimate at first, but were created to confront, not to...
Whenever we speak or write something, we must ask ourselves a series of questions; without asking those questions, what we say or write will not come from a deeper place of personal introspection. First and foremost is the question, "How does this apply to me?"...
Wisdom, the biblical kind, keeps us spiritually safe because we live our lives in line with God's truth. This wisdom is what Solomon wrote about in the book of Proverbs. God's wisdom serves a purpose. "Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help...
What gives us hope to endure the struggles of this life is that someday those struggles will come to an end, and a new, unimagined life will appear. I cannot imagine trying to live through the struggles of this life without that hope. Each day, I thank God for the...
God's word describes Jesus as the opposite of what some are being taught about Him. His true and full nature is an offense to their image of God. As time, as we know it, comes to its conclusion, the Lord will reveal the fullness of His nature for all the world to see....
As I was reading through Revelation, I came upon similar language to what the Lord spoke on the Cross when He said, “It is finished.” “Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture, he said, ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar of sour wine was sitting...
For the last few decades, theories and assumptions about the book of Revelation and the timing of its events have been taught to the Church. It has been a pick-and-choose exercise, leaving out some of what is described in John's writing, assigning it to the past or as...
I hear, both in the corporate world and within leadership circles in the Church, the phrase, "Taking someone to the next level." Entire courses of instruction and counseling are developed to take someone to whatever "the next level" means. That next level is defined...
Years ago, I flew to Colorado Springs and traveled to a retreat and conference center called Glen Eyrie Castle. I was speaking to a group regarding overseas missions. Glen Eyrie is not just a castle. Multiple buildings make up the sprawling estate. Glen Eyrie is owned...
I am reading through Revelation again for the umpteenth time in my life. I don't know how many times I have read the book, but each time I do, I gain a new perspective of the Lord. With each word of instruction Jesus gave to John about the seven churches, the Lord...