Blog
Over the years, I have taught the book of Revelation several times – verse by verse. Each time I taught the book, I had to adjust my understanding. It wasn’t that Scripture had changed. I began to see a simple understanding of what the Lord was saying. Whether one...
Jan and I are in our 50th year of marriage. The Lord has been merciful to us because, like any marriage, we’ve had moments of failure, doubt, and unbelief. In the middle of all of that, Jan and I are a living example of what the Lord can do with two failing people....
We are all going to die, so why waste the impending certainty of that event? Death and its inevitability will be ignored by people who fail to grasp the lessons it can provide. As I read Scripture certain verses will get my attention. A particular verse will capture...
When I gave Jan the first hug of the morning, I pulled her in extra close. When our faces met, something funny happened. Jan said, "Look at your glasses. They are all fogged up!" Through my foggy lens, I smiled and said, "We still have the passion even at 4:30 in the...
A civil war is taking place within the Church. Instead of firing bullets we are firing personal opinion at opposing ideas. Leading up to this conflict, something unique has taken place. The opinion of those within the Church is now as varied as those outside. No...
As I sat in the police academy as a young almost-a-cop, I heard a lecture from one of the instructors about the difference between the intent and the letter of the law. Every law has both letter and intent. While the letter of the law does have an important place in...
Glenn Burris leads the Foursquare Church as its President. Jan and I have been pastors in the Foursquare Church for almost 40 years. Foursquare is an international family of churches founded in the 1920"s by Aimee Semple McPherson. Glenn wrote a very poignant...
It seems like a lot of people are affronted these days. It has become a ministry of sorts. The word affront in the dictionary is defined as “an action or remark that causes outrage or offense.” When challenged, some Christians who have adopted this ministry will...
The Church must constantly learn how to communicate its message more effectively or the sound of our voice will be dismissed as irrelevant by the culture. Motion pictures went through a migration of style and presentation to become what we watch today. That...
When our assumptions are challenged it is not always a heresy, a deception or a false doctrine that brings the challenge. It can actually be a revelation from God. It’s important to know the difference.
I was listening to music via my Pandora account when the Garth Brooks song, If Tomorrow Never Comes, began to play. I listened intently to the beautiful lyrics. “Sometimes late at night I lie awake and watch her sleeping. She's lost in peaceful dreams. So I turn out...
I was invited to meet with a group of leaders who were engaging in a challenging conversation regarding a tough decision they had to make. The complexity and possible ramifications of their decision created a tense environment. It became increasingly difficult to find...
I have read through the Scriptures many times from Genesis to Revelation. Over the years, I have enjoyed the tactile nature of a genuine leather-bound Bible. For the last few months, I have not held a Bible. In fact, I am not reading the Scriptures, I am listening to...
Each day opportunities walk by our lives. Opportunities for love walk by intently glancing our way hoping they will be seen. Breakthrough walks by trying to gain our attention in an attempt to draw us away from our lesser pursuits inspired by fear. A fresh start...
We can turn the results of our obedience or the success of our ministry into either a trophy or a testimony. The final definition is determined by what we have allowed to enter our hearts to fuel our motives and empower our actions. “Search me, O God, and know my...