Blog
As Jesus gave final instructions to His disciples just before His arrest, He addressed the coming of the Spirit. Jesus said the grief the disciples would experience at His death would be overshadowed by the coming of the Spirit. When the Spirit comes and enters a...
Our faith is rarely tested unless a display of the resurrection power of Jesus has been demonstrated. The power of resurrection is the primary evidence of God’s love. The traction created by that demonstration will threaten the powers of evil currently being employed...
53 years ago, I met a young woman who would become my wife. It wasn’t because of my smarts or my wisdom that Jan was given to me. God knew the kind of woman I needed, the kind that followed the leading of God’s Spirit, not the latest demands of culture or any personal...
There are several bills under consideration in California (AB 1779, 2943, 2119) that would prohibit the church from freely ministering to those in same-sex relationships and gender identity issues, who want to seek help as they process these life-altering decisions....
In our increasingly entrenched world of opinion where we have individually or as a group defined what is true and right according to our preference, familiarity, and bias, it has become increasingly difficult to find common ground. In these opposing and combative...
Recently, I watched a vintage newsreel depicting San Francisco in 1939. It revealed a beautiful city with a magnificent bay. As I watched the black and white images unfold of people walking up and down Market Street and Fisherman’s Wharf, I realized somewhere in the...
This morning, I awakened to check the flight status of my daughter, Anna. She is returning home from a month away hosting writing teams in both Spain and Morocco. For the last week, Anna and some of her friends had some downtime in Paris. As I slept, Anna boarded her...
Your waiting time is almost over. The wait has become intense in recent days. You have reached up wanting to harvest the fruit of a promise but wisely held back knowing it was premature. You are so close. The self-control you exhibit in the coming days will be more...
As I grow older, so much of what I pursued as a young man no longer matters to me. In the course of my lifetime, as the desire and drive for recognition faded away, I found myself left holding only the simplest of life's treasures. Songs that did not register with me...
A few days ago, I bought an Easter lily and brought it home to Jan. She put it on a table in our living room next to my writing chair. I am looking over at the lily as I write these words. Each morning for the last week, when I walk into the dark living room before I...
Last night, I had a fitful night of sleep. In the restless night, I had a dream. I was in a restaurant. A man seated at a table near me turned around and said he knew I was a writer. He asked if I would meet with the leadership team of his organization to consider...
Yesterday, I was driving across town surfing through some radio stations when I came upon pastor Chuck Swindoll who was preaching a sermon. Swindoll said in essence, “The stone was not rolled away so Jesus could get out. It was rolled away so we could go in.” That...
No offense is greater than the potential of reconciliation. It does not matter if you were the perpetrator or the victim. If you are willing to invite God into an offense He will set in motion the miracle of forgiveness. Even if it appears for a time that the...
From time-to-time, I get some interesting feedback from what I write. It goes with the territory. The vast majority of the comments I receive are very affirming and kind. There are times a comment will come through not birthed out of a relationship, but from what I...
Some spiritual battles were so intense that in the heat of combat we lost connection with people. Some never returned home. God is about to reunite those who were taken captive or who have been missing in action. A beautiful reunion is coming. Last week, I was in...