Christian Life
Alone in the Balcony: Looking for the Love of God
A few years ago I was speaking in a small town high school. In the middle of my talk a girl from the balcony shouted something out to me. I was not sure what she said, so right there on stage I asked her to repeat herself, but she ducked down and there was no reply. After I finished my talk,...
Creating a Biblical List of Goals for the New Year
One day while Molly and I were riding in the car I asked her, “Next year, at the beginning of 2012, what do you want to look back and say you accomplished in 2011?” She begin her answer with a quick review of what she had wished she had done differently last year and then said, “So here is...
The Blessing of Loneliness
Sometimes God calls us to take steps we’d rather not. Sometime He moves our stiff legs to bend in the exact way He desires, and we would otherwise despise. The bending hurts. The new foot placement is uncomfortable. The straining position between where He wants me to go and where I want to be causes an anxiousness that at moments...
The Cross and the Eyes of Love
I once heard a pastor tell this story: There was a priest that lived in the 1700’s. One Sunday morning he got in front of the church and said, “Tonight I am going to preach a sermon without using any words.” The people in the congregation thought, ‘A sermon with no word, those must be the best kind, we will...
When I can only write 2 words
A man once told me, “To write a book is to write one’s self.” He was right. When I write I feel most vulnerable because it is as if I am being captured on paper. Writing brings me to the extremes I rarely visit. It causes me to search for pleasure in places unexpected. It forces me to think on...
Hanging By a Thread
The last 24 hours have seemed as if my entire world was falling apart. Have you had those days where you’re sure if someone else asks something of you, you just might lose you ever-loving mind? Have you been so stressed your teeth hurt? Has all food ever lost its appeal, primarily because you don’t even have time to eat,...
Teens and Texting
It seems like more and more parents are struggling with their teen’s addiction to texting. Perhaps you’ve gotten the monthly cell phone bill only to find that thousands of text messages were sent from you teen’s phone. Don’t worry; this is not as tragic as you think! First, understand that this technologically infiltrated generation is being trained to communicate in...
Follow Hard After God
“You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him and keep His commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.” Deuteronomy 13:4 Did you notice the action words in that verse? Fear…obey…listen…serve…hold fast. I’ve never been one to just fall in line. It is hard for me to follow and I have...
Bible Verses for the Depressed
Though it is not something I am proud of, I have to admit that the last few days have been some of the hardest days I’ve had in a long time. The number of sermons yet to be prepared and preached were overwhelming to me. I was burdened by the responsibilities of the church. The shambles my personal life...
Christians and the Government
Last night I spent the evening with a friend, and we inevitably got into a conversation about this week’s election. We started to ask questions about what God thinks of the earthy government. As we searched the scriptures for some answers, this particular passage jumped out: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority...
3×3 Prayer
Prayer and evangelism are inseparable. Imagine what might happen if you got together regularly with two of your other Christian friends and pray for your unsaved friends. Here’s a suggestion for you… Each of you writes down three unsaved friends. If you each are praying for three unsaved friends then you will be praying for a total of nine people!...
A Decade of Dating
Over a decade ago I started dating my best friend. This past weekend we celebrated 5 years of marriage. Yes, after only knowing each other for four days (though we had know of each other longer), Molly and I began our relationship on September 9th, 2000. I was only eighteen at the time, but I was as sure I had...