Blog
When God calls us to obedience, He offers both the blessings of our obedience and the consequences of our disobedience. The determining factor is our willingness to obey His voice. Moses detailed for Israel the blessings that would visit the nation if they remained...
I know Anna married the right man when he added 16 ribeye steaks to the Thanksgiving meal, along with the turkey I cooked. Wasn't a vegan in the group. Thanks, Jared.
One of the greatest enemies of our faith in a moment of conflict is panic. Whether you just received a surprise announcement of a divorce or got a notice of the loss of your job or any unexpected event that alters your life profoundly, each one initially produces the...
(“Thoughts I Want To Leave Behind” is a collection of thoughts and impressions I want to leave behind as I begin to make my final pastoral transition.) #5 Outwitting Your Imposter Inside each of us lives an imposter. This imposter wants to ruin your life by...
(“Thoughts I Want To Leave Behind” is a collection of thoughts and impressions I want to leave behind as I begin to make my final pastoral transition.) #4 Trust Your Team Every church, every family and every business is a team. If you have done your job well your team...
(“Thoughts I Want To Leave Behind” is a collection of thoughts and impressions I want to leave behind as I begin to make my final pastoral transition.) #3 Choose To Believe The Best Choose to believe the best even when it seems a worst-case scenario is developing....
(“Thoughts I Want To Leave Behind” is a collection of thoughts and impressions I want to leave behind as I begin to make my final pastoral transition.) #2 Follow The Presence There will be times in the coming years when you will run out of road. You will come to...
In one month, I will hand our church over to a new generation of leaders. These are trusted men and women who know God and His heart. They will serve God and His people with honor and integrity. As I travel and minister in a widening circle of...
As I write this, I am in a hotel room north of New Orleans grabbing a few hours of down time between ministry sessions. My host church has put me up in a nice hotel where I can relax, think and write. The first thing I do when I travel and enter an...
This week a small town in Northern California was devastated by fire. Many homes in the city were lost and hundreds of people displaced. Video footage of the fire’s aftermath looked like a warzone. In the days following the fire, I would discover what gave the small...
When I came to Medford, Oregon 15 years ago to pastor what would become Living Waters Church, I remember one particular day shortly after my arrival when the Lord gave me a distinct assignment for our church. I remember the day well. I was driving on an...
Your unique ethnicity, gender or social status does not provide you with superior insight into the issues of life. Your humanity is what makes your contribution valuable. Paul told the church in Ephesus that God created “one new people” in Christ to become a...
When I was thirteen years old, I traveled with my family into the Deep South where my mother grew up. This was in December of 1963 just weeks after President Kennedy was assassinated. We flew to our destination, picked up a car and then drove back home to the...
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...