Blog
A persecuted faith does not fade away. It grows stronger. The persecuted Church demonstrates that reality under oppressive regimes like Nigeria and Iran, among others. Under the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights, we carry the heritage of a godly justice...
This morning, as Jan and I prayed for our nation and for the nations of the world, the Lord spoke. He said we need to pray for His intervention, not the short-sighted conclusions we think need to happen. Those short-sighted conclusions apply at personal, social,...
I remember the day I led my Dad to the Lord. I was awakened in the early hours of the morning with a strong sense of urgency to get to his hospital bed. At eighty-one years of age, Dad was still sharp of mind and healthy. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, within...
I can relate to Peter in so many ways. There were two times when Jesus asked Peter to follow Him. The first call was simply, “Follow me.” The second call came after Peter had utterly failed Jesus by denying Him (see John 21:19). The first call brought Peter into...
Over the last few decades, there has been an increased focus on defining ministry/leadership gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially the gift of prophet and apostle. These gifts are meant to be used in all walks of life, in every sphere, not just at ministerial meetings...
Some of the most intense truths in Scripture are the final words of Jesus to His disciples after the Last Supper. His words were spoken in recognition of a world that rejects the truth and persecutes those who follow Him. We want to get along with all people, but a...
I was hiking a trail on the hills above our home when I came across a rare flower in full bloom. The flower was from the lily family of plants called the Gentner’s Fritillaria. This little lily only grows in a microclimate found in Southern Oregon. God was very...
We are familiar with the stunning miracle of the healing of a blind man at the Pool of Bethesda and the Pharisees' negative reaction. The healing of the blind man took place on the Sabbath—a day no one was allowed to “work.” They called his parents in for questioning....
In every generation, something is revealed that seems to scorch the reputation of God’s people. Betrayals, lust, and greed are nothing new to Him, but they still surprise us. We are often unaware of our heart’s true condition. These exposures of sin remind me of what...
We don’t fully understand what God says or does when we don’t have the full picture. Anything beyond what we have personally experienced is naturally questioned and doubted when our human reasoning kicks in. Our natural mind cannot believe or accept it. In fact, our...
On a brief trip, I bumped into someone on a city street I had not seen in many years. For a short time, she had attended one of the churches Jan and I pastored. From her appearance, it seemed the intervening years had been challenging. Immediately after our...
In His sovereignty, God chooses the timing to expose and cleanse what has become corrupted by demonic activity in His people. He will tell us to clear out anything that gives people the wrong impression of who He is and how we should represent Him. He will address the...
When we act as agents of redemption, we open the door for the Lord to do amazing things for all concerned. The book of Ruth is a beautiful story of redemption that emerged from tragic events. Both she and her mother-in-law, Naomi, were stricken with the grief of...
I just finished reading through the book of Judges. I was emotionally exhausted, having read through the multiple times God’s people reject Him and lose their way. Ultimately, their way always ended in violence and death. The last verse in the book of Judges...
While Jan and I were in prayer for the nations, I saw an image in the Spirit. I saw a sound set of a motion picture being filmed. I saw the stage props, camera booms, and the support staff doing their duties to produce the movie. I immediately saw how we can view...