ON THE THRESHOLD
New Year’s Eve 2023. For some, an auspicious date – 123123. For many, a time to reflect on the past and look ahead to the next year. Some make resolutions – new year, new me. Others perhaps brace themselves for what the year will bring in terms of calamities, stormy weather, and instability on the […]
SEEING THE BIRTH OF CHRIST WITH EYES OF FAITH
Gotta get my two cents in at Christmas! Hope you don’t mind. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the paradox in the way we commemorate our Savior’s birth today. Most of us have forgotten that the nativity has been mixed with the pagan celebrations surrounding the winter equinox for centuries. The medieval popes actively […]
ANATOMY OF A CURVEBALL
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.Isaiah 55:8 I’m no baseball expert but life has got me thinking about the theological meaning of curveballs lately. The curveball is one of the most dreaded pitches in baseball. Pitchers who throw good ones can make the ball travel at […]
A MIND STAYED ON GOD
Who doesn’t want peace in the midst of the turmoil we live in? Every glance at the news headlines promises more conflict, economic stress, and future volatility. Meanwhile, the fast pace of our digital society makes our lives more complex than ever and assaults our inner peace. So in the midst of that, it is […]
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
Most of the time I publish deep thoughts and insights. But with a three-week mission trip to Kenya coming up for my wife and me, I’ll share something newsy. So, here are some excerpts from our newsletter, hot off the press! KENYA TRIP LESS THAN A MONTH AWAY! After 8 years since our last trip […]
THE SURRENDERED VS. THE SOVEREIGN SOUL
Recently I came across the profile picture of a Facebook content creator who had framed her profile picture with the words “peaceful loving sovereign soul – I stand for freedom.” For a humanist – one who believes in the centrality of humans apart from the existence of God – that is a positive statement. There […]
INTREPID INTERCESSION
“Intrepid” is perhaps not a word many people use. I’m partial to it for two reasons: 1. It is a good adjective for the kind of intercessory prayer that is needed these days.2. I’m a pastor and we love alliteration in our sermon outlines and use it wherever and whenever we can! For that reason, […]
THE UNTAPPED POWER OF INTERCESSION
Spoiler alert: My wife is putting the finishing touches on a devotional entitled “Intrepid Intercession.” It is one of the few devotionals completely geared toward intercessory prayer and is a collaborative effort between me and fourteen contributing writers. We hope to have it available in paperback format on Amazon by November 1st. Stay tuned! A […]
ETERNITY IN OUR HEARTS
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. Proverbs 3:11 I found myself thinking about this verse in Ecclesiastes. It is a well-known Scripture in missiology. Don Richardson, a missionary […]
ANOTHER FISH IN THE BASKET
The feeding of the five thousand in Matthew 14 is a well-known story – one of several where our Lord took something very small and turned it into something big to satisfy the needs of many. It’s an encouraging picture of what the Lord can do with the little we have. Such is the case […]