Blog
An increasing number of Christians have dismissed the Old Testament as irrelevant. Some in their dismissal have said it represents a cruel God, not the God of compassion. Those dismissals are very dangerous assumptions. As Scripture tells us our God does not change,...
There is a great deal taking place in our world that has people asking the question, “How did we get here?” The answer to the question cannot be spelled out at the moment the question is asked. We must trace backward to reverse engineer an outcome, perception, or...
Whenever God calls us to rebuild an individual life or a nation, that rebuilding process will be met with opposition. When the Israelites were instructed by the Lord to rebuild the Temple they started with the altar – a place of worship. The book of Ezra details the...
I posted the following sentences on my social media accounts as I was thinking about the reaction of some to the recent release of the move Noah: Sometimes the Church gets upset over the least important things. This is a good time to review what upset Jesus and follow...
Where many experts exist there is little forward motion, only opinions that lead in different directions. Seek a word from God and follow it. God will be faithful to lead you to a place of promise even if the experts disagree with your decision. One of the challenges...
For the last 35 years one of the most impacting voices in my life has been Jerry Cook. Jerry formed the theology of many leaders in the Church. Recently, Jerry went home to be with the Lord. Just before his death, Jerry wrote the foreword to my book, The...
At my age and length of service in God’s Kingdom, I am now what some people would call a spiritual father. In most gatherings, I am one of the older pastors in the room. As we age, wisdom can increasingly be present and in operation in our lives if we have allowed God...
Last night I had the most vivid dream. I was at a conference center in a beautiful forest setting and all the pathways leading through the forest were carpeted. As people were walking along these pathways, I found myself kneeling down on all fours and running my...
This week a longtime friend died suddenly. He suffered a massive heart attack and was taken to a hospital. He never recovered from the trauma of that event and eventually died a few days ago. His death shocked many of us who knew this vibrant,...
Recently, in a moment of personal brokenness the Lord spoke a word to me that changed everything. He said, In the place of your greatest shame and condemnation your most significant act of spiritual warfare is choosing to believe I still love you. This...
People are standing at a crossroads. They are standing at the intersections of life needing to make a decision about their future direction. In these significant moments we need to know God is directing our steps. When I have faced these kinds of intersections,...
As a young pastor, I listened a lot. I listened to the many voices of leaders who went before me. There were times in those early years when I would ask a simple question and receive a profound answer. In my first year of pastoring, I asked Jerry...
About 20 years ago, I began asking myself four questions. I also asked the same questions of our church staff during our quarterly planning sessions. The questions helped us engage a process of evaluation where we could leave behind what needed to be left behind and...
In just a few weeks my new book, A Good Place, will be released. A Good Place is about walking with hope through the transitions of life and ministry. The book is not about building a transition plan - it is about the journey of our hearts and how we can...
We are entering a season where those who have experienced injustice are about to receive supernatural restoration. Throughout history the justice of God has brought restoration to his people who have suffered injustice at the hands of the enemy. This is not a...