Blog
Thirty years ago, Jan and I began to pray over our remaining time on Earth. We have prayed that we would end this life having remained faithful to the Lord and to each other. Our hearts greatest desire is that we would finish well. We want to live without bringing...
I can relate to Peter in so many ways. There were two times when Jesus asked Peter to follow Him. The first call was simply, “Follow me.” The second call came after Peter had utterly failed Jesus by denying Him (see John 21:19). The first call brought Peter into...
Over the last few decades, there has been an increased focus on defining ministry/leadership gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially the gift of prophet and apostle. These gifts are meant to be used in all walks of life, in every sphere, not just at ministerial meetings...
Some believers are being taught that our rights as citizens should not be pursued. Paul was not some right-wing conspiracist. He used his rights as a Roman citizen to confront those in power when they abused his rights. On one occasion, while Paul was going to a place...
There is a spirit of sorcery at work in our culture, and sadly, within some parts of the Church. The mission of this spirit is to distort and misinterpret the message of Jesus Christ. This is nothing new. It took place when Barnabas and Paul were speaking to a...
As I walked to the end of our street, I noticed that a stop sign had lost one screw that attached it to a post. When the screw loosened, the sign swung down, inverting the warning to stop. The upside-down stop sign is an image of what has happened to some in the...
Jealousy and the improper use of money have derailed the faith of many people, leaders, and followers alike. Only confession and repentance can break the influence of these sins. Without confession and repentance, people will move deeper into their sin without the...
In 1991, I visited Russia when it was still the old Soviet Union. Later that year, the Soviet Union dissolved, and Ukraine became a free and separate nation. The first leg of my visit took me to Moscow, the seat of Soviet power. The city felt dark and foreboding. We...
There are reasons why the Church can descend into a limited version of faith without expecting something more. In that state, we will represent a dull and lifeless faith, not expecting that something more will be revealed. After the miraculous healing of a lame man at...
Thirty years ago, Jan and I lived in Berlin, Germany. We were assigned to help coordinate the missions ministries of the Foursquare Church in Eastern Europe. As we continued in our assignment, we were invited to speak and teach across other European nations. After a...
The day after we celebrated the events of the Lord’s resurrection, we needed to know our next step, just like the first disciples. After Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to His disciples and did several things. We need to know what the Lord did when He called...
On this Easter morning, as we do each year, we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus. But there is one more thing we fail to recognize. Each act leading up to the Lord's enthronement, His death, and His resurrection is a critical part of the events of that...
As I was finishing a hike in the mountains above our home, I walked out of the woods onto a city street. In the distance, I heard a crowd of children shouting and screaming with joy. When the crowd of kids finally appeared, I could see that a teacher and her...
Jesus and His disciples were straightforward about the need for a pure and undiluted faith - a faith in Jesus alone. They did not pull punches or dance around the truth about Jesus. John wrote that Jesus alone was the only way, the only truth, and the only way to...
I was walking through the cemetery in our town when I noticed a tree that was bent over. It was the victim of a recent windstorm. What was strange about the tree was that it was not uprooted or broken. It was still alive and growing. In the storm damage that took...