Blog
Each season of life has a specific assignment. To discover that assignment is to become empowered in ways we might not realize in the beginning when questions about that assignment are first asked. I remember my pastor telling a group of us young and yet-to-be...
All things not bound by God’s love and truth will eventually unravel. We are living in the first stages of a great unraveling. In that unraveling, those in the Church whose faith is alive will grow stronger as they submit to the voice of God. In contrast, those who...
Last night I had a troubling dream about a leader in the Church and their followers. The dream was very graphic. My dream followed a conversation shared earlier in the day about another leader who may have made a choice that would challenge biblical integrity. Because...
When I was in the 7th grade, I played the clarinet in our junior high school marching band. I started playing the clarinet in the 5th grade, so I was not an expert. Our band was scheduled to march in a yearly parade in my hometown. One day, about two months before the...
As children, our imaginations were very vivid and creative. Children live in a world of mental imagery. We took journeys in our minds and created new worlds. A vivid imagination was one of the joys of childhood. Somewhere along the path of life, we were told to stop...
I was looking at a photo of one of my nieces. She is a beautiful young lady. As I looked at her picture, I saw the eyes of my mother staring back at me. The DNA of a family line is strong. What is even stronger is our spiritual DNA. Our spiritual DNA does...
The most significant piece of advice I ever received on how to preach, and for that matter, how to handle most of life, was given to me by my pastor, Roy Hicks. Jr. He said when you prepare to preach you are not yet ready until you can answer three questions. 1....
The announcement of the United States Embassy being relocated from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has become a spiritual starter gun signaling the start of an unprecedented unfolding and coalescing of events on the world stage. A global transformation is about to move...
I visited the old Soviet Union when it was known as the USSR. At that time, the USSR still carried many of the old Cold War images we associate with Communism. I was traveling as a guest of a large travel agency who invited a group of us to see the nation and...
One of my childhood dreams was to learn to fly. As a young 20-something, I began working in a job that afforded me enough extra income to start taking lessons toward the goal of obtaining a Private Pilot’s license. After 10 hours of dual instruction, I felt I was...
In some cases, we have made following Jesus too complicated. We need to find a way to return to a simplicity that will invite everyone to the table of effective service, not just those who have "gone into the ministry". Paul said the evidence that a believer has been...
As a little boy, I usually slept like a rock. But one winter night I woke up and walked into the living room. I was about 6 or 7 years old. My stirring also awakened my father. While standing in front of our fireplace staring at the remaining embers of a fire from the...
Paul wrote the book of II Timothy from a Roman prison shortly before his execution. It would be his last epistle. Because of that sober setting, Paul’s words carry a unique poignancy. Paul said, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time...
In order to be found on the right side of history, we must understand the future implications of the decisions we are making today. This understanding comes to those willing to discover the heart of God for our current social and spiritual ills. Once that discovery is...
A couple of weeks ago, I read a Facebook comment from a friend who was part of a church that Jan and I pastored 30 years ago. My friend shared how he was finally stepping into a calling on his life I had prophesied to him those many years ago. He wasn’t...