Words of Life

The year I turned sixteen was a significant one in my life. I experienced an overwhelming closeness with the Lord, having just acknowledged and surrendered to God’s call to full-time vocational ministry. Yet no sooner had I committed my life...

Two Old Testament books, Daniel and Esther, were written to instruct the Israelites on how to live in a world where they didn’t belong. The context for most Old Testament books was the land of Israel. The books of Daniel and Esther, by contrast...

One of my earliest childhood memories is feeling the daily absence of my father. I was just four years old when my parents divorced, and while I can’t recall much from those early years, I vividly remember...

On September 11, 2001, the world stood still in a state of total shock. Terrorists had flown two airliners into both towers of the World Trade Center. It was a direct hit on...

Let me say a word to those who have battled and contended for years. I know this struggle well. I’ve fought for full healing from the effects of Lyme disease for over three decades. These symptoms have...

As Christians, we are prone to characterize our battles as good versus evil. Of course, this is easy for us to process. It is how we make sense of the narratives in our heads. Like the shows or movies we watch, we tend to think of battles as...

A few days before our annual church conference, I was sitting at my desk preparing the message I was going to preach that week. Immediately after I sat down to write, I felt this horrible sensation in my chest. It felt like heartburn at first, but it was so overwhelmingly…

As believers, we are called to develop habits and rhythms that cultivate holiness. These practices must find their source in God, be sustained in us through His Spirit, grow us in godly character, and be...

News of war, suffering, injustice, and pain. Sin that’s not just tolerated but ...

I was sitting with three women in Winter Park, Florida, who had honestly taken my breath away. They had me grinning and giggling as they talked about their daughters’ favorite skincare routines, the best concerts they’d been to that year, and what they’d packed out to wear, all the while…