Blog
For the last three days, I have been away from home speaking in two different locations, a men’s retreat, and a church. During both worship settings, those leading worship sensed the Spirit’s presence come in a very tangible way when they began to sing words...
We can learn a great deal about how the devil attacks and destroys the faith of a believer from observing the tactics displayed in natural warfare. Just as it was in Israel two days ago, when the rocket attack signaled the beginning of a much larger planned attack,...
A state of war has been declared in Israel on the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The war was triggered by attacks from Hamas who began the war by firing 5,000 rockets into southern Israel. Terrorist teams have been sent over the border into Israel by...
Yesterday, I found myself sighing. I let out one of those tired, depressed and faithless sighs that was long and overly dramatic. Jan heard my sigh and wisely said, “Why don’t you follow up that sigh with an act of worship?” I had been lovingly...
Yesterday, I sat in my truck in the parking lot of my dentist’s office. My appointment was still about ten minutes away so I decided to check my email on my smartphone. As I scrolled down through the emails, I noticed that I had received an email to fill a larger...
Years ago, when Jan and I ventured out to start our first church, those who sent us described church planters like us as people who would “pioneer a new church”. That phrase is not used very much in church planting circles today, but remains accurate in...
Over the years, Jan and I have found ourselves serving the Lord in several unique locations. One of those places was our assignment in the West Indies when our base of operation was out of Kingston, Jamaica. Thanksgiving time in Jamaica did not have the...
(This morning one of my former students posted a question on my Facebook wall. I normally answer these kinds of questions with a personal email, but felt this one was important to answer publicly because the response of the church to these culturally charged...
My grandfather, like his father before him, made violins. They called these violins fiddles. From the forest that surrounded the family home near Quitman, Texas they would cut and cure hardwoods that would someday become beautiful fiddles. As they walked through a...
For every ending – the end of a relationship, the death of a ministry or the collapse of a dream – there exists a new beginning. These unexpected new beginnings can be forced upon us by a circumstance of life or by our own poor choices. God will use these...
There is no steering wheel in another person’s life that you can grab to help steer their life away from crisis and sorrow. In the human will and mind these steering wheels do not exist. For those who want to help another person this can be both frustrating and...
As I listen to conversations taking place across the church, I am not hearing much about the Devil. Please don’t misunderstand what I am about to write. I don’t want to spend each waking hour pondering his presence, but I don’t want to ignore his reality either. ...
When God pulls the plug in some area of your life He does this to drain away what is present in order to make room for something new. Before you start trying to plug the drain and fix the leak it is important to understand what is taking place. The Apostle Paul told...
I have been a pastor for so many years that I am now seen as a spiritual father. This is a high calling and one that I hope to carry with honor the rest of my days. As a spiritual father, I want to make sure my sons and daughters finish well so that some day...
Today, I was reading through several news sources. As I was reading, I saw an image emerge and rise off the screen of my computer and develop before me. It was an unsettling image. I saw soldiers with blue helmets walking the streets of cities in the United...