Words of Life

As we enter into the Christmas season, we face a world of uncertainty, turbulence, and conflict. Economies rise and fall, racial strife simmers in the streets and on college campuses, and refugees flee murderous Islamists in the Middle East and Africa. Darkness seems to be closing in, but we are…

What does this phrase "Jesus is enough" actually look like in practical everyday life? Sure, it means we have nothing except Jesus, and all we have is his sustaining grace. But what might that actually look like for us? When Jesus is enough, we might not actually be poor in…

I love rivers. They cut through the earth like mysterious mazes with no rhyme or reason. Buried deep in the mountains and forests, raging and full. Running along the edges of small communities, stream-like, but constant and alive. Dry beds in the heart of summer lying dormant until the winter…

It is sad to watch the American people trust the “arm of the flesh” and the “deceptive powers in this present world” as their hope. The New Testament refers to Jesus as “the Blessed Hope”1 and points to His promised return. This is a promise we can be assured of, but…

We all have things we'd rather keep hidden. For me, it was my doubts and fears. I didn't want people – especially the church people – to know I didn't have all the answers. When I was in the midst of my unresolvable brokenness, the last thing I wanted to…

In elementary school I was quite the problem child. I was bored. And when a little boy is bored, he usually gets into trouble. Routinely I did such things as turn off the lights in the bathroom when boys were in it, shoot spit wads at other kids, and other…

I remember where I was sitting when I got the news. I was at the top of the hill across from the house Barry and I were renting in Laguna Niguel, California. We climbed that hill with Bentley, our golden retriever, every morning and every evening. Barry and I had…

The Bible records: "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints" (Psalm 116:15) and "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord" (Revelation 14:13). When the righteous die, they are escorted from this life into the Third Heaven by angels, who take them to…

Phil. 4:6-7 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (niv).  As most of you know, our daughter,…

Valerie's dad was a chaplain in the military, so her family moved all the time. Valerie had difficulty adjusting to new settings and making new friends. She was also heavyset, which made it easy for other kids to tease her. They would call her fat and ugly, and say things…