Blog
Awareness is very different from suspicion. Suspicion is a leash attached to our thoughts and emotions leading us to places where fear is in control. Awareness is an awakened state of preparedness. It wisely helps us see into the depths of what is happening in the...
When an individual, family, or nation appears surrounded by evil, the Lord's faithfulness for what He has promised to fulfill will establish a greater perimeter of hope. That greater perimeter of God’s presence stands outside human history. It holds all evil plans...
For the last few days, I’ve experienced emotions like the ones I felt on the morning of 9/11. When that attack took place, my mind went back to my days on SWAT duty. I found myself preparing emotionally and tactically for what might follow the attack. The same thing...
Have you noticed some people do better remaining quiet and simply observing life instead of always feeling “called” to intervene in the personal business of another person? I was traveling with a group into the old Soviet Union a few years before it...
Have you noticed some people do better remaining quiet and simply observing life instead of always feeling “called” to intervene in the personal business of another person? I was traveling with a group into the old Soviet Union a few years before it...
When I was a young pastor a woman began to attend our church. In the community she was known as a fire-starter. She used demons, not matches, to start fires. People spoke of her demonic talent in hushed, fear-based conversations. Since she had moved to our area two...
When we started in ministry, I had to do everything. In the early months of our first church plant, I was leading worship along with being the church janitor, preacher and everything else required at the beginning of a new ministry. Leading worship was an...
A dictionary definition of a lynch mob is, “ A group of people who condemn and punish a person without a fair trial.” This is not limited to an Old West image of a mob of rowdy cowboys throwing a rope over a tree limb to hang someone without legal process. It is done...
This morning, Jan and I walked past the vineyards near our home. It was a stunning day filled with blue sky, white clouds and rich earth. We saw the coming harvest of grapes hanging heavy on the vines. The grapes we still green and not yet ready to pick. As soon as I...
Recently, I was walking along under a covered sidewalk in a small town known as a tourist destination. Hanging above my head were signs advertising each business along the sidewalk. These signs hung on chains. A sudden breeze began to blow causing all the signs to...
In this cycle of American politics we have become a living illustration of the conversation Joshua had with the commander of the Lord’s heavenly army. “Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his...
At some point you will need to plan your escape. This is an escape from the opinions of other people, the “you need to do this or that” kind of advice or the feeling that somehow you have missed the “it” of life. This escape can be done in two ways. One way will...
In military and police work the term “Staging Area” is used to describe a location designated where intelligence, personnel and materials are assembled in preparation for a coming campaign or assault. Personally, I have stood in actual staging areas where my...
There are puppets dancing across the world stage. Every puppet has a puppet master. You will need the Spirit-empowered gift of discernment to clearly see into the spiritual realm and to understand what is actually taking place behind the curtain on the world stage....
When I was a young pastor, I hiked alone to the very crest of the Rocky Mountains that overlooked the Flathead Valley in northwest Montana. Jan and I were pastoring a church in the valley below in the city of Kalispell. As I stood atop the rocky ridgeline to my right...