Blog
Death is a personality not a vague and widespread expression of the presence of evil. We cannot fight against Death without being specific regarding the existence of his personality and mission. The Book of Revelation assigns a capital letter to denote Death as an...
The staff of authority you carry is not something you want to hold onto because you realize the challenges it will create as you exercise its authority. Realizing those challenges, you have tried to throw the staff down and move on, but you can’t. The Lord has...
Traps have been set in our lives to take us back into a place of bondage. They are designed with specificity to capture our attention and then lead us into a place of deeper temptation. As Moses was instructing the Israelites about how to live in the lands they...
Forty years ago, I was a young police officer trained as a Hostage Negotiator. The new and developing science of hostage negotiation was beginning to find a place in many large metropolitan police agencies across the nation. As negotiators, we were sent...
As a young pastor, I once heard an older pastor say, "If something is public, deal with it publicly. If it is private, deal with it privately." That seasoned and wise leader was helping younger pastors learn how to deal with disruptions that can take place in a...
Living in Europe afforded me a unique opportunity to view my American life and culture through a variety of different perspectives. I remember one conversation when a man was bad-mouthing the United States. I don’t normally seek to correct people, but I...
For some of you the last season of your life has resembled Paul’s stormy passage at sea. You were aboard ship held captive because of the calling on your life. In route to a new season you encountered a storm that has put everything in jeopardy. Like the...
As a father in the faith, I find myself viewing the Church from that perspective. This kind of assignment slips up on you by mere time in rank and age. The realization I was a spiritual father first visited me about 10 years ago and has deepened its...
You are entering a strategic season. In this season your primary task will be to make sure you are properly aligned with the coming wind of the Spirit. This alignment will position you to move forward when the wind begins to blow. As a sailing vessel adjusts it's...
When Jan and I began dating in 1970, we were both students at what is known today as Multnomah University in Portland, Oregon. I was carrying 17 units at school and working full time at Elmer’s restaurant as a cook. I lived in a dirt floor basement of an...
As you journey through life you will hear people speak of human potential. Every human has natural potential, but this potential is not where the greatest breakthroughs occur because our human potential is limited by human intellect and ability. As you...
I don’t remember who first coined the phrase, “The Father, Son and the Holy Bible”, but when I heard those words I had to stop and think. My impression was that some people had elevated their understanding of scripture to a place where their interpretation was the...
There will be seasons in your life when the greatest evidence you are a leader is discovered when you turn around and realize no one is following, yet you keep moving forward toward a promise. These are seasons where some of your greatest tests will come because...
I live in Oregon where just yesterday we had five earthquakes off our coast. These earthquakes took place in a region near a major undersea subduction zone that if released will bring great devastation to the western states of America and beyond. Off our...
This morning, I was reading Acts 7 where Stephen reminded a group of religious leaders of their abandoned history. The actions of Stephen took courage, especially when the existing religious system in his day also controlled the cultural power base. In some faith...