Blog Archives
Less Shopping, More Serving During the Christmas Season
Even if you’re an atheist, you know that Jesus is the reason for the season. It’s unpopular and politically incorrect today […]
A Life-Giving Home for the Holidays
During the holiday season, we always hear about going home or other family members coming home. It got me thinking […]
Five Ways to Cope With the Holidays When You’ve Lost a Loved One
Christmas is hard. Once you’ve lost someone you love, it’s bittersweet at best and terribly painful at worst. It’s a […]
Immanuel – God With Us
Our most dire need in moments of fear and tragedy is the presence of someone who is willing to enter […]
TENTACLES OF FAITH
I know very little about my ancestry and have never really had much interest in researching it. Once I get […]
Keeping a Soft Heart Amid the Battle of Doctrine
Even though we daily battle against the grim things of this world, keep a soft heart, Christian. A calloused heart […]
Takeaways From Christmas Hymns – Part One
Silent night, holy night!Son of God, love’s pure light;Radiant beams from thy holy faceWith the dawn of redeeming grace,Jesus, Lord, […]
Evangelism Begins With Grace
If you’re like me, the word evangelism is a like a guilt switch in my soul. You say “evangelism” and immediately three […]
Confessions of a Church Addict
My name is John and I am a recovering church addict. Those are words that seem inappropriate. After all, church […]
What Christians Can Learn From Hanukkah
You may have seen a menorah, maybe heard a song about a dreidel, seen golden chocolate coins for sale in […]
“Prone to Wander, Lord, I Feel it”
In 1757 Robert Robinson, a self-proclaimed “wanderer,” wrote the penitent words of a poem we know today as the hymn […]
When Culture Defines a Family
What happens when society redefines family? Our teenagers are sorting through the wounds of a generation’s idea that family is whatever […]
When it Comes to Loving People, Christians Have a Higher Standard
“Let us not become weary in doing good . . . Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good […]
If You Want a Life of Victory, Fix Your Focus
One of my good friends, Alejandro, will sometimes text me out of the blue to just see how life is. […]
When You’re Disappointed With God
Philip Yancey in his book, Disappointment with God, tells of a letter he received from a woman who was struggling with […]
3 Reasons Patriotism is on the Decline in America
Since the turning of the century there has been a 23% decrease in people who are extremely proud to be […]
Is it Happiness You’re After? Or is it Joy?
As I stare at my bag of double chocolate donuts, I ponder the question, where does happiness come from? I […]
OUR COMMON ENEMY
It’s a heated environment these days. Politically. Racially. Religiously. Opinions abound. Listening is lacking. Fingers are pointed. It’s an environment […]
When Your “House” is on Fire
I have always struggled with my tongue. From arguing to sarcasm to sharp, cutting words. I have memorized and meditated […]
How to Find the God Who Delights in Us
With all three of my children, I experienced nearly the same special moment playing hide-and-seek. I would hide. They would […]
Inside Look at a Pastor’s Preaching Prep
Every week I have the incredible opportunity of standing before a group of people to proclaim the truths of God’s […]
The Secret to Keeping Friends
Friendships are often fickle. What’s the secret to keeping friends? I got a story for ya: On an epic day […]
How Many Generations Does it Take to Bless a Child?
With an autumn breeze grazing our skin, carrying the backyard-laughs into the neighbor’s yard, we played and played . . . […]
Yes, Son, There are Two Genders
What do you do when your child asks an honest (yet culturally unpopular!) question? One that, if answered biblically, will […]
Considering Celebrity Conversions
In recent news, a fair number of celebrity conversions have been taking place in the public eye. Justin Bieber has […]
What Should I Say to Fear?
Peanuts characters Linus and Charlie Brown were discussing how to deal with the difficulties of life. Linus tells Charlie Brown […]
Does Jesus Want Me to Be Happy?
Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, gave us a pathway to happiness called the beatitudes. God blesses those who are […]
Our Messy Relationship With This World
Jesus stayed on the streets and searched the corners to encounter the very people most religious folk snubbed. Jesus comes […]
Happiness Depends on Whose You Are
“Happiness is in the eye of the beholder.” Have you heard that phrase? Usually with “Beauty” instead of “Happiness”? Sure, […]
All People are Made in the Image of God
The Bible clearly states that God is the creator of all human life. (Find a list of some of those […]
4 “Non-Spiritual” Things That Transformed My Prayer Life
I’m embarrassed about my prayer life. And I have yet to find someone who isn’t! It’s (usually) not our theology that […]
Five Dangers of Not Asking For Prayer
The Christian life is about community. It’s about fellowship. It’s about being one Body. To do this you have to […]
Five Ways to Prepare for a Bear Attack
Are you prepared for a bear attack? Our family recently took a vacation to the picturesque Grand Teton Mountains. The […]
Three Ways to Parent Your Child’s Heart
I’m just a dad. I don’t have a PhD in parenting. I haven’t studied personality theory nor have I researched […]
YOUR SMART PHONE IS LYING TO YOU, BY THE WAY
Here’s a riddle for you: What do we look at, on average, 63 times a day, for up to 4 […]
People Are Not Your Enemy
People are not the real enemies. Paul made that clear when he said, “For our struggle is not against flesh […]
Four Ways to be Grateful During This Season of Thankfulness
If only my children would be more grateful . . . As a young mom, I was sure that was […]
Ten Reasons I’m Happy and How You Can Get There
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with […]
Twenty Seconds
There are only a handful of times in my life I have thought, “I could die in the next few […]
Rescue From Rebellion
A salvation story doesn’t have to be R-rated to be powerful. We may not all be saved from a life […]
The Hard, Narrow Road to Biblical Literacy
We desire the silver platter of biblical literacy – that we might somehow put in the littlest effort yet receive […]
Are You Spiritually Dehydrated?
Sometimes life can be completely and utterly exhausting. I’m talking stress from work, family, or money issues to being mentally […]
Grateful: Not Just a Word on a Sign at Hobby Lobby
Hard to believe it’s already November, and it doesn’t seem possible, but it’s the month that officially begins the holiday […]
Mike and Laura Beth: From Brokenness to Mending by the Potter
Mike: Sin and Brokenness “…Looking back, I see there was no actual desire to pursue the things of God… Nonetheless, […]
5 Promises to You, My Daughter
Often when I put my daughter to bed I will not only pray with her, but I’ll catch myself repeating […]
3 Reasons Your Work Matters and 4 Parts of the Performance Scorecard
(The following is adapted from a devotional by the BMA’s Director of Operations John Meriweather.) Colossians 3:22-24 says, “. . […]
One Thousand Little Compromises
OUR PRIVATE CHOICES AFFECT EVERYONE WE KNOW Every moral decision that we make is like a brick in a wall […]
When You’ve Lost All Hope
The solution to keeping your heart ablaze with hope is redirecting your eyes to Christ. When your eyes remain fixed […]
Misrepresenting Christianity in America
(Originally posted February 2015) The not-so-popular news magazine, Newsweek, has started 2015 with cover article entitled “The Bible: So Misunderstood It’s […]
25 Things Husbands Should Start Doing TODAY
The following list is a great way… …to start loving your wife… …in a way that makes her flourish! Have […]