Blog
A life not directed by the truth of Scripture will not finish well. It will be absorbed with things outside the bounds of truth, embracing what is counterfeit. That person will too easily embrace errors regarding human sexuality, the purpose of earthly wealth, and,...
A wise pastor once said, "If you want to discover what motivates a person, look at their checkbook." That truth was shared with me years ago before online banking and financial apps became widely available. The same principle holds true today, as many are using...
Most of us are aware of Paul's warning to Timothy about what will happen in the last days, "Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times, some will turn away from the true faith" (I Timothy 4:1). We quote this verse with regularity but fail to realize...
No matter how well-informed one might appear, the New Year and all the events that transpire within its borders are still unknown. I am sensing that 2024 will provide more surprises than it will security. Our trust in God will be our best ally when surprising and...
On several occasions when a topic causes people concern, I’ve heard people too quickly toss out the dismissive label, “Fear sells.” At that point, they ask their listeners to relegate the issue to the sidelines and move on with life unconcerned. We should never be led...
I’ve been reading through the book of Jeremiah. It has been a depressing read even though an occasional nugget of hope will appear in its pages. Chapter after chapter we see Israel disobeying God and the Lord sending foreign troops to overcome them. I was exhausted by...
On the side of our property is an old fence. It’s at least 40 years old, maybe older. A vine was planted along the fence years ago and has since grown up and outside the original supporting structure of a trellis nailed to the fence. Over the years, the vine grew and...
There’s a fine balance between making known the spiritual gifts we use to serve the Church and self-promotion. This is not just for pastors and prophets. This is a check of our integrity that applies to all of us in every setting of life. I’ve stopped following some...
As 2024 approaches and our nation processes yet another election cycle, our faith must be built upon the victory of the Cross of Christ, not on the dangling bits of false hope offered to us by a change in government. Pursuing the latter as our primary goal will lead...
Recently, I found out there are morgues on cruise ships. I never thought people would die on a cruise, but when you have thousands of people comprising the population of a small town, the odds are someone will die along the way. It reminded me of some of our...
Over the years, I’ve preached about the potter’s wheel in Jeremiah 18. When I preached the story, I stopped short of the other events in that chapter. I wanted to portray a word of hope. But there is more to the story than just a pot being reformed. It was the events...
It was almost 50 years ago when the Lord told me to stop reading the daily horoscope in our local newspaper. It wasn’t like I followed any advice offered. I was just curious. In all the years since I was given that instruction, I haven’t read another horoscope....
Every morning, I sit in my writing chair reading Scripture, remembering Jesus in communion, and praying. During that time, I am both looking and listening in the Spirit to see and hear a confirmation of His faithfulness. He reminds me in new ways of who He is for me,...
While the words of Jeremiah were written to Israel during a specific time and place in history, there is a great deal to learn and apply to our lives at this time. Jeremiah wrote about what grieves the heart of God and then petitions them to return to Him. Referring...
In the middle of the night, I was awakened by coyotes howling just up the canyon from our home. A coyote howl can be an intriguing and sometimes unsettling sound. The howling of a coyote is primarily an announcement to gather the rest of their family unit who were...