Words of Life

How difficult is it to push a button on the dishwasher? My vote is “not very,” but that isn’t the point. What made the whole thing ironic is that I was in the middle of writing a sermon on “happiness.” Let me explain.  My wife and I were on the…

One of the most frightening concepts in the Bible is that of judgment. The word alone conjures up images of wrath, destruction, condemnation, and fear. We see the judgment of God as punishment for every mistake we’ve ever made, whether intentional or unintentional, known or unknown, big or small. The…

Have you ever felt deep in your bones that God has a plan "exceedingly abundantly above all that ask or think"? Do you ever "become weary in doing good"? Perhaps you have heard something specific from God. He's awakened you to your passions and talents; he's given you a vision…

I want to tell you about the single primary need of both men and women. I call these the mega-needs because they are the driving forces of how we see life and how we hear everything that is said to us.  Women have four major needs, but their primary need…

I am not enough. It is a terrifying phrase that goes through our heads on quite a regular basis about a plethora of things. Let me tell you a few of the stories I have heard just from my close circle of friends.  Bekah leads boot camps. As she leads…

Heaven sounds like a place of imaginative fictional fantasy. But maybe the reason we possess within us such imaginative fictional capacity is because of a longing for eternity that God placed in the human heart. Like a bird's homing instinct, it's pointing us homeward. There's a little bird called the…

Simon Peter has been criticized over the years for his brash personality, his denial of Christ on the morning of the crucifixion, and his impetuous actions. And he is often criticized for the lack of faith he showed in this account.  But I'd like to look at Peter's actions more…

A few years ago, Philip and I toured the ancient catacombs of Rome where thousands of early Christians are buried. As an expression of faith, when a believer died, a Christian symbol was carved into the marble tombstone. Hundreds of different symbols line the walls: a fish, a shepherd, an…

When I'm caught in heavy traffic, I get excited when I remember a shortcut. It's such a great feeling to jump off the interstate, hit a few side roads, and pass all those cars stalled in the rush-hour standstill.  But many times my brilliant idea is thwarted by highway engineers.…

Christmas can be difficult for many people. Loss, loneliness, financial pressure, family division, and other stresses seem to magnify at a time when we are supposed to be celebrating a season of hope, joy, and peace. When the holidays start to feel like bad news, that’s exactly when we need…