Blog Archives

What Boldness is Not
I want to be bold. Do you know what I mean? I want to live a life that makes a […]

8 Ways to Conquer the Destructive Power of Fear: Part Three
It is true that fear has a destructive power in our life. But it is also true that faith in […]

The Destructive Power of Fear-Part One
People are afraid. They are afraid of losing their health, wealth, mind, job, spouse or children. They are afraid of […]

7 Definitions of a Friend
When the First World War ended, the King and Queen of Belgium wanted to honor President Hoover for the aid […]

6 Ways You Can be a Barnabas
Barnabas was, in my opinion, the greatest man in the New Testament other than Jesus. Why? Because Barnabas was an […]

Tilling the Garden of Your Marriage
Springtime means gardens for many people. While my husband and I have tried our hand at vegetable gardens before, it […]

What is God Doing With This Crisis?
Most of us would admit that we are living in times that are distinct from anything we have ever known. […]

Politics, Religion and Freedom: Lessons From a Veteran
I was born into a military family. Those are my roots, and because of that, I probably don’t see the […]

6 Ways to Share Your Story With Non-Christians
(Read “How to Transition into ‘Gospel Conversations’ with Non-Christians” as it builds on this blog. https://lifeword.org/blog/how-to-have-gospel-conversations-with-non-believers/ As you peel back […]

Easter: The Rest of the Story
Easter may have looked different this year – yes. Virtual services, maybe a small family gathering for lunch depending on […]

Now is the Perfect Time for an Appointment with God
As I sit to write these words, I have just listened to our national leaders warn us that we are […]

It’s Time to Speed the Spread (of the good news)
When was the last time you spread the good news? What an odd time to think about spreading things! News […]

How to Have Gospel Conversations With Non-Believers
Sam Chan’s wonderful book Evangelism in a Skeptical World fleshes out a practical pathway to create “gospel conversations.” Simply put, conversations have three […]

How to Deal With Prideful People
When someone opposes you, do your words kind of soften? Are you tempted to pull punches, or change the subject altogether? […]

Don’t Settle For an Average Life with an Average Purpose
There are only two ways to live life: Your way. God’s way. There is no third way. To put it […]

This is How the Cycle of Anger and Abuse Can Stop With You
Growing up, I thought my family was like every other family and then I learned that we weren’t. But wait, […]

Here’s Why You Should Read the Bible
It’s something we’ve heard preached about plenty of times. It’s almost like broccoli: We know it’s good for us, but […]

This is How You Can be the Salt of the Earth
“Your speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.” […]

The High Price Others Pay for Our Missed Opportunities
“Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time.” (Colossians 4:5) H. Jackson Brown has been quoted as saying, […]

This is What “Living Sent” Means
The command to “live sent” may or may not be a familiar phrase in today’s church vernacular. Same goes for […]

Lessons From the Ultimate Traitor
Even if you’ve never read the Bible, you know who he is and what he did. Thesaurus.com lists Judas as a synonym […]

Something Missing in Your Life? Don’t Start With Religion.
Perhaps one of the biggest frustrations in life is not knowing where to start. It is a common problem for […]

This is Why a Sheep Loves to Read
In a pivotal passage, Jesus explains, “I know my own and my own know me” (John 10:14). In this verse he […]

What Does it Mean to be “Born Again”?
We’ve all heard the phrase “born again”. Some mock. Some scratch their temple. Some bend their knees in worship. But, […]

How Do I Know I’m Really a Christian?
I’ve lost count of people who’ve come into my office asking, “How do I know I’m a Christian? Like, really know?” […]

Lesson From The Grinch
One of my favorite subtle movie lines is found in The Grinch (the Jim Carrey edition). In a scene where he’s busy […]

What DID Mary Know?
The Christmas song “Mary, Did You Know?” was written by Mark Lowery and Buddy Greene in 1991. It quickly became a […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Considering Celebrity Conversions
In recent news, a fair number of celebrity conversions have been taking place in the public eye. Justin Bieber has […]

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 […]

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 […]

Wine at the Wedding and A Future Miracle
John 2:1-10 chronologically records the first miracle recorded in the Bible that Jesus performed: Turning water into wine at a […]

“You Heard Her”: The Power of a Praying Mom
I recently wrote that Augustine, though raised by his Christian mother to love Jesus, was not a Christian for a […]

Doubts Come Like a Thief in the Night
In 1972 the rapture movie A Thief in the Night was released, but I didn’t see it in a theater. I saw […]

Movie Review: Overcomer
Overcomer is a feel-good, faith-based movie that challenges you to think about your true identity. In the aptly named Christian […]

Go Ahead: Burst Your Bubble
By Larry Barker, Director of North American Church Planting Our family was living in Romania in 2000 and we had […]

Who is Jesus?
Jesus offered his life as a sacrifice for sin . . . the innocent paying the price of the guilty.

Greatest Wedding Story Ever Told
We should be making ourselves ready to be found without spot or blemish for our perfect groom, Jesus Christ.

No Matter What You’ve Done or Where You’ve Been
Spring Hunter is a woman who grew up in complete poverty, religiously adhered to a cult, suffered parental abandonment, became […]

Surrendered: Fully and Finally
I started drinking when I was fifteen because my parents were gone every weekend and my brother and sister would […]

Sharing Your Faith
Fear of rejection is the number one reason for neglecting to bring up spiritual topics in conversations.

From Your Big Sister
Dear baby, This is Melody, writing to you the night before you are born into this world. There are a […]

Mike Jones: A Lifeword Story of Grace and Mercy
Matthew chapter 17 has the account of Jesus with Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration. While they […]

Discipleship Part Two: Three Chairs
SOAR . . . Man, I love this youth conference. Sold Out And Radical. Every summer, we gather up our […]

Discipleship Part One: How Did Jesus Do It?
It wasn’t until after my first year of college that I was truly saved. You’re probably thinking, what does that […]

Your Truth or My Truth?
In people’s lives, there must come a time when they decide for themselves what they really believe. Because I grew […]