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Two unique events took place when Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection. He appeared to His fearful disciples who were shut behind closed doors. Among other words of affirmation, He said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins,...
When Jesus sent out the twelve disciples, He gave them instructions on how to express their faith. The Lord said, “I am sending you out as sheep among wolves” (Matthew 10:16). The calling to follow Jesus would not be a faith walk in the park. The Lord did not...
The Sermon on the Mount has been romanticized by some without taking what Jesus said to a deeper level. We could call the Sermon on the Mount the Sermon of Doing. Jesus is speaking into a religious system of works that suit the presence of imposters, not a true...
I remember the painful day when I accidently threw away all of Jan’s childhood family photos. We were pastoring our first church and our kids were in grade school. Jan’s mom and dad were downsizing so they wanted to make sure all the old family photos pertinent to...
The Lord revealed a picture of your life. Behind a doorway and standing in line are answers to forgotten prayers, unexpected blessings, new relationships, and fresh opportunities. As I continued to watch the developing image, all of these deliveries of God's goodness...
A wide variety of ideas about how someone gets “saved” are floating across our computer screens and working their way into our conversations. I have never felt comfortable with a definition of personal salvation that did not include the exercise of personal...
This morning, a story buried deep within my memory surfaced. It took place almost 40 years ago when I worked as a police detective. I was handed the lead on a homicide investigation. Attached to the investigation was a reporter from the Eugene-Register Guard newspaper...
(A posting note: The following article has nothing to do with the The Shack, a movie, and book both Jan and I enjoyed immensely for its ability to communicate the heart of God.) In every period of Church history, there will be seasons in which people move away from...
Whenever I drive to a distant city for pleasure or ministry, I do one thing before I check into my hotel. I fill up my car with gas. I do this in case an emergency comes during the night that would require me to depart immediately at an hour when an open gas station...
The greatest deliverance you will ever experience is not from demons, but from an unhealthy image of God. If you know God as a loving Father who will never leave you or forsake you, you will make hell tremble because you will have found the secret to living a life of...
Recently, I noticed someone was writing on social media about the Throne Room of Heaven. They spelled Throne Room as “Thrown Room.” I am sure it was an example of spell-check-gone-wild. I smiled at the implications. The Throne of Heaven is not a static place. The...
Last night, I had two separate dreams that were somehow connected. Both dreams looked like oil paintings. One image was of a bow, as in a bow and arrow. At first, I expected to see the image of an arrow shot into the air and stuck in the ground but instead of the...
At this time in our national history, many are only seeing a noisy and rapidly moving mass of humanity running in different directions following a multitude of agendas. They feel distance from the events taking place. A cacophony of sound and a blurred cultural mural...
You have been surrounded by the glory of God. That glory burns like fire. It is not always visible in the natural realm. You will never walk into an unknown future vulnerable and exposed. God is surrounding you and your loved ones. His glory is your protection as...
Some of you will be asked by God to try something new, something you have never done before. You have no experience in this new place of faith. You will bring to the challenge more than you realize. Apart from flag and touch football games during recess at school, I...