Blog
As I am reading through the prophetic books of the Old Testament, I have realized that no matter how disobedient the people of God became, there is always hope because God delights in the act of redemption. In the concluding remarks of Micah, he writes of what God...
Not everything God says to us is initially comforting. Some of what the Lord says requires a change of heart to experience the comfort He offers. In some parts of the Church, a prophetic word must always be a word of hope, not correction, and that has led to a...
The book of Jonah captures vivid images of a man running from God and being swallowed by a large fish. But there is another image not always noticed. The message Jonah was told to deliver was one of judgment. The Lord instructed Jonah, “Get up and go to the...
I used to wonder why Jesus did not provide clear answers to some of the questions people asked Him in Scripture – questions that seemed divisive in their composition. I think He leaves some things unanswered because it creates a relational tension as we pursue answers...
I read a sad social media interchange between a church leader and the people responding to something he posted. The comment he made appeared flippant and out of tune with God’s heart. I assume it is a comment he now regrets making, maybe not in content but in his...
Once, I was asked by another believer if I would consider a debate. I said, “No.” When asked why I replied, “Because one of us would walk away being considered the winner.” I was pressed further and shared, “When the world looks at the Church I want them to see...
One of the most beautiful things about love is choice. If you remove choice from either side of a relationship it is no longer love. I remember the day I asked Jan to marry me. I asked and she said yes. I offered love and she accepted. I did not take Jan by force...
The old dead oak tree stood on the hill above me, a bark-less memory of another life. This old gray wooden statue held his head high among the young oaks still generations away from the gray of death. They were prospering in the insulated virility of their...
As a young cop, I had to learn about the judicious use of firearms. In my training, there was a term called, “Pray and Spray.” Pray and Spray means that when a threat appears that could cause death or great bodily harm, the undisciplined person will start praying and...
I have stood before the church door in Wittenberg, Germany where Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses five hundred years ago. Luther's act sparked the Protestant Reformation. The Wittenberg Door represents how reformation can begin in the Church with a single act of...
In a television interview today, I said to my interviewer, "Some of those labeled as 'forsaking the assembling' of the Church have not walked away from God. They have simply forsaken the model of the Church we have presented to them." Be careful making flippant...
As a young rookie cop, I listened with a blend of anticipation and joy when the old-timers told their stories. I remember one story about a young man with a bad attitude who drove by one of the old-timers. When he passed the cop, the young man extended his hand out...
Have you noticed that events like an eclipse, events known beforehand never measure up to the apocalyptic warnings issued prior to their arrival? It is the surprise events of life that catch us off guard. Those events actually change life as we know it. The unexpected...
Soon the natural event of the solar eclipse will be over and we will return to life as we know it – a life where true justice can be absent for many people. My wife, Jan, is finishing her new book, Blessings of Hope and Joy. Jan is writing her blessings from the book...
There are times when God will give you a word loaded with such power and potential, it feels like you are riding a rocket. At the moment of your launch, you begin to realize you are heading toward a target much larger than you first imagined. As the distance closes...