Blog
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...
The attacks on Israel have made many of us ask the question, “What if this happened in America? What if suddenly, a surprise terrorist attack took place against the civilian population releasing terror in our cities? Of late, our porous borders have allowed people to...
Twenty-five years ago, I asked a wise pastor his opinion about the battles he fought over issues of faith. As a younger pastor he was known to have had a history of picking verbal fights with anyone with whom he disagreed. He had thankfully mellowed over...
Jan and I live on a quiet street nestled in the foothills of Southern Oregon. We are shielded from much of the noise generated by the communities in valley below. There are times when it is completely silent. This morning in the stillness, I heard the distant and...
A couple of years ago, I was hiking on a mountain trail above our home. As I hiked, I came across a very large and aggressive dog. I could see the owner had let his dog off leash to enjoy a run. Unleashed dogs are not allowed on this particular trail system. There are...
As a young man, I heard Richard Wurmbrand speak. I sat in awe as I listened to his testimony. Richard was held captive in horrible prison conditions in Romania because of his faith during the time of Communist rule. He was separated from his wife and...
The older I get the less I like changing seasons. To some this sounds like emotional heresy, but that’s my reality. I prefer life to resemble a perpetual spring – the latter part of spring when the rains wind down and things begin to dry out. Spring means new life and...
You are in a spiritual battle and you need to let your enemy win. This tactic will make no sense. Jesus said to bless your enemies. He instructed His disciples to forgive 7 times 70. This crazy kind of cheek-turning love only happens when...
There never were any “good old days” for some people. If you were a person of color the good old days had sunset laws that would not allow you to be out after dark. If you were a woman you took your calling and went to the back of the line while a...
This morning, I read a Facebook post from a pastor who hosts a radio program. He shared how this had been a challenging week for him because he had some people call him a heretic. Along with a few other pastors, I responded to encourage him. I shared that I found out...
Over the years, I have come to realize that silence in the presence of God can be one of the highest forms of worship we will ever experience. In our highly energized church culture we can begin to think we always need to make a sound to express our worship of...
You have experienced the visit of past regrets. These regrets were produced because of a relationship you had with someone that took a wrong turn and you regret what happened. Yes, you and the other person could have handled life differently, but you didn’t and...
Many people have no idea what it means to live in a state of terror on a daily basis. Those in the war torn nations of the Middle East understand terror. A rape victim understands terror. Soldiers and police officers and those who put themselves in harms way...
An understanding exists among those who teach self-defense that there are three kinds of people – sheep, wolves and sheep dogs. Sheep are the vast majority of people in our culture, both in the Church and without, who are absolutely unaware of the dangers that...