Blog
Where Jan and I live, we have four ways to leave our neighborhood. Each exit leads to a different way out of town. We don’t live on a dead-end street or within the confines of a cul-de-sac. The way of escape, should we need to do so, is open with several options...
For those who love the Church and want to see her prosper, it’s important to understand the conditions in which people live. To ignore those realities will remove the power of the Gospel to overcome those issues and suffering they create. The Gospel is meant to be...
Our home was built 80 years ago. We still have the original wood floors. When we moved into our home 22 years ago, we discovered that someone had painted over the wood floors. After we moved in, Jan and I spent a couple of weeks removing the paint to expose a...
Have you ever started to sing the opening lines of an old song but forget the rest of the lyrics? You sounded great singing the first few words then mumbled the remainder of the chorus hoping you might recall the lyrics. I just did that with an old 60’s song. As I was...
I have sensed the presence of darkness trying to push believers to a place of disillusionment and despair. The rapid changes taking place in faith and culture have caused some to feel worn down to a place of spiritual thinness. Trusted voices have abandoned positions...
There are times when I am asked to help churches make transitions in pastoral leadership. When meeting with the primary leadership team of a church in transition, I will three questions. 1. What kind of church do you have? I ask people to describe the relational...
The answer to life’s most complicated issues is normally found in a place of simplicity. This simplicity is available even if you live in the midst of a cluttered calendar or find yourself in a time of life where the demands placed on you by other people feels like...
Earlier this week, Jan and I had dinner with friends at a nice restaurant. Shortly after being seated, a young family sat at the table next to us with three young kids. Our child-rearing years took place decades ago. We smiled as the parents tried to herd cats and eat...
If you want to impact an emerging generation or a group of people you will need to remove complaint and criticism from your conversation. No one lends an ear to a negative spirit. Phrases like, “The youth of today…” or “Those people…” are introductory phrases that...
If you want to know what death sounds like speak a word of hope. Death will always protest hope and demand that all voices be silent except its own. A word of hope has greater authority than the language of condemnation. Just a whisper of hope will shout down the...
As I began to prepare to speak at a conference on the subject of reformation, the Lord took me to Acts 17. In that section of Scripture, Paul was traveling through the city of Athens, Greece. Athens was known as the city of 10,000 gods. Just to be safe and cover all...
It is always a dangerous game to judge a person based on rumor and second-hand information. I have stopped coming to any conclusion about someone unless I have firsthand information about them from personal interaction with them. The higher in public visibility you...
I saw an image of a person hiking. They were wearing boots, shorts, a hat and carried a backpack. They were hiking a well-worn trail. The scenery was familiar. It was obvious other hikers had been walking over the same trail for decades never stepping out of its...
There are times in our lives when someone we love is taken away. An unexpected turn of events, death or changing relationships can move a person beyond our most desperate reach. In these times our only hope is in the tomorrow promised by God to those who suffer loss....
Any possession or experience not submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ will eventually become a garish absurdity. Abundance beyond the satisfaction of our basic needs must have a Kingdom assignment or it will morph into a perversion of God’s original intent. ...