Blog
As I look out at our small orchard of fig, cherry, apple, nectarine, and peach trees in our front yard, I can see the first buds of fruit forming. Each tree has a different process of maturation and fruit bearing. The first appearance of a coming harvest is now taking...
Years ago, on a flight from Los Angeles to Seattle, I had a window seat as we flew over the Pacific Northwest. As we crossed Springfield, Oregon, a place where our family once lived, I looked down and could see familiar landmarks—the streets, parks, shopping malls,...
A question surfaced in Paul’s writings: Who can be saved? I’ve heard several podcasts and interviews this year discussing Israel, her relationship with the Church, and her place in modern history. In one discussion on social media, there was a halting comment...
In the summer of 1968, a friend and I headed down the California coast toward the border with Mexico in a ’59 Volkswagen bug. Our surfboards were latched onto a roof rack. We planned to surf every break we encountered as we headed south from Santa Cruz. At the time,...
Each of us has a role to play in the culture we live in, no matter how small it might appear. We can take part in what ignites a spiritual revolution, even when we speak a single spark of truth in love. To participate in this Great Awakening and revival, we must...
The Lord can do more with one person of faith who is aware of the reality of spiritual warfare than with thousands who live unaware of it. Because we conduct spiritual warfare with the Spirit, not the flesh, our conflicts will reflect how we fight. When Gideon...
Throughout history, the Church has allowed leaders to hold positions of authority they should never have been given, gifted or not. Our lack of discernment and failures have rocked everyone across all streams of faith. The Lord will always raise up a new generation of...
This time of year, when spring arrives, I like to sit in our front yard amidst the blooming trees and the early sprouts of new life coming to our garden. As I sit in the warmth of the sun, I like to read. This morning, I was reading through my daughter’s...
Remembering God’s goodness and His greatness protects us from all forms of deception. Today, the Lord is testing the Church, calling us to remember and not forget how He worked in us in the past so we will continue to hold true to Him in the future. After Joshua died,...
The Church has always been tempted to become more like the nations where we live than to remain a distinctly different kind of people. From the beginning to the end of our lives, we will be tested to determine the quality of our faith and who we will worship. Life is...
Of late, with all that is happening in the world and in the lives of people we love, Jan and I are spending more time praying together in the Spirit. This is not abandoning a prayer list. It is taking our prayers beyond the list to a place only the Spirit knows. The...
When we listen to reports of wars and rumors of war, or when we hear people speak things motivated by doom and gloom, we must take account of God’s promises so that what we say and report is not motivated by fear, but by our faith in God. Joshua and Caleb are notable...
Large reservoirs in the western United States, like Hoover and Grand Coulee, have occasionally experienced what is called a “dead pool.” A dead pool means that there has not been enough rain to fill these reservoirs and activate the power generators inside the...
One of the greatest truths that Jan and I discovered and live by to this day is to inquire first of the Lord to find out His answer before we act prematurely and do something we would live to regret. Thirty years ago, the Lord planted this truth deep in our hearts. We...
Prophetic acts are something not many in the Church understand. These acts declare in the present, before a spiritual victory comes, of what God will do in the future. Prophetic acts declare God's authority and faithfulness in spiritual conflict. Often, they are...