Blog
I’ve been reading through the book of Jeremiah. It has been a depressing read even though an occasional nugget of hope will appear in its pages. Chapter after chapter we see Israel disobeying God and the Lord sending foreign troops to overcome them. I was exhausted by...
On the side of our property is an old fence. It’s at least 40 years old, maybe older. A vine was planted along the fence years ago and has since grown up and outside the original supporting structure of a trellis nailed to the fence. Over the years, the vine grew and...
There’s a fine balance between making known the spiritual gifts we use to serve the Church and self-promotion. This is not just for pastors and prophets. This is a check of our integrity that applies to all of us in every setting of life. I’ve stopped following some...
I heard the Lord say, “Some things are coming apart.” Those words rolled around in my mind as the wheels of my bicycle rolled me along the road’s edge on my daily workout. My route was an 18 mile round trip. In both directions of travel, I saw bolts of all different...
Two gifts an older generation can give a younger generation are patience and encouragement. Apart from sudden miracles most things of value take time to develop. Patiently and honorably choose to remain present in the lives of younger men and women and try to see what...
Several years ago, I emailed Dr. Jack Hayford a question about revival. This busy apostle of the church graciously took the time to write a lengthy email response that helped me see a larger picture than the one I had originally framed with my initial question. Gently...
When I was a young believer, I always admired people who were literalists when it came their understanding of scripture. I felt this way because I thought these people carried a higher level of faith than the rest of us that enabled them to literally believe...
The Early Church planted the presence of God before they planted churches. In the Book of Acts, our original church planting manual, the birth of a local church came after the presence of God was released in a community through signs, wonders and...
A life without a foundation of truth will eventually begin to wander. Our perception of truth becomes relative and flexible if sourced in human logic and emotion. If we allow these two issues to become our truth interpreters, it becomes difficult to live a simple and...
When I was in the 5th grade, I was assigned the job of a school crossing guard. I got to wear a special vest and carried a metal sign on a pole with the word, “Stop”, printed in red and white across its face. This was a big deal for a young boy. I was...
I have noticed a common denominator in every successful life-transition. Those who were able to navigate through times of change and come out on the other side emotionally and spiritually healthy understood one profound truth - God is good and He is always leading us...
I live in the small historic mining town of Jacksonville, Oregon. Our community is immersed in the early history of Oregon. Gold was first discovered here in the 1850’s within a block of our home. Miles of hiking trails form a necklace that surrounds our little town....
Some have said, "If it's not broken, don't try to fix it". This might work for cars and machinery, but utterly fails when it comes to advancing the Kingdom of God on earth. As the revelation of Jesus Christ continues to expand, each new season will require a...
To release someone is more than simply letting them go. The definition of the word "release" means to set people free from confinement or bondage, to deliver or to emancipate. It is a word used to describe the release of an animal from a cage or rescuing a hostage...
Several years ago, a friend and I were flying into Eugene, Oregon for ministry at a local church. I was piloting a high-performance single engine airplane that was based at the Burbank, California airport. When we departed Burbank the local weather was...