Jesus never imposed his will, virtues, or ethics on anyone. He presented Himself, along with the offer of abundant life and freedom made possible by abiding in the truth He offers. We have an invitation from Almighty God, our heavenly Father, to live in His shadow and His shelter while…
Read More
For Labor Day weekend, I drove to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for an important event that has become an annual ritual. There, I assembled an astonishing roster of athletes to compete on my behalf for the next 17 weeks. Ray Rice and Ryan Grant fill my backfield. Roddy White, Mike Williams, and…
Read More
Terror struck America and changed us forever. None of us will ever forget where we were, who we were with, and what we were doing that fateful day when tragedy struck. I worked on the 81st floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center and my wife Mary…
Read More
Consider God's intervention on three different occasions, as related in the New Testament. We read in the story of young Saul of Tarsus, a terrorist committed to destroying the infant Church, that Jesus met him in spectacular appearance and asked him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" (Acts 9:4).…
Read More
Torment. That's the best word I know to describe the fiery darts of accusation impaled in the bull's-eye of the unrelieved conscience. Once we have allowed and believed God to cleanse our consciences, Satan loses the bull's-eye and can only hope to hit a nerve where our pasts are concerned.…
Read More
Have you ever noticed how miserable it is to live outside of God’s perfect will? I know I have. It’s like taking mini prodigal journeys to the pig sty every time I choose to go down that path of disobedience. Most of the time, it’s not even like I decide,…
Read More
The nation that should be the greatest force for missions has now become the field in greatest need of mission outreach. Pastors and churches have inspired positive outreach around the world; and their ability and willingness to continue doing so is being threatened by a culture that ignores truth and…
Read More
The idea of God's enclosing us in His hands can be taken two ways, depending on our spiritual posture. When we are in rebellion and running away from God, being hemmed in can feel restrictive. But when we are in communion with our Creator, His fencing promotes a feeling of…
Read More
In speaking of women as leaders, doesn't it make more sense to choose a woman from the Bible's impressive lineup of recognized female leaders – someone like Miriam, Deborah, Esther, Huldah, Mary, Priscilla, Phoebe, Junia (and that's just the short list)? Not necessarily. Having delved deeply into the lives of…
Read More
I think it is funny that in this season of life I am again doing wake-up duty, only this time much more is at stake. Sometimes it feels as though I am still wandering among bunks in darkened rooms where I gently shake, stubbornly stay, and at times – glorious…
Read More
