Words of Life

The night before I went to the weird little church in the strip mall, I was out drinking on 6th street until 2 am. I wasn’t buzzed or tipsy, I was “passed-out-and-wake-up-in-Mexico” drunk. Luckily, I didn’t, and somehow, I managed to pull myself together, take a quick nap, hop in…

Ladies and gentlemen, the state of the kingdom is strong. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, still sits at the right hand of God. He still holds all of creation in His hands. He still moves in the lives of His people, fulfilling His word and making Himself known. Our…

Some Pharisees once came to Jesus and asked, “Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” (Matthew 22:36). Jesus answered,“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment” (vv. 37-38). But he didn't…

In every season, hidden in every choice, and every step, and in every moment, is the potential for nourishment or poison, for life or death. Hard as it is to face, and though we hate the thought of it, sometimes, for whatever reason, we'll step off God’s nourishing path and…

The apostle Paul urged the Thessalonians to pray without ceasing, but I've always struggled to understand what this might look like in our everyday lives. Do we walk around robotically praising God as we bounce from activity to activity in our crowded days? Or do we retreat to a quiet,…

Faith, whether it is faith in yourself and your purpose or faith in your creator, is a powerful beacon, but you have to let its light shine. You cannot allow it to be dimmed by neglect. Sometimes, you may feel like you have faith, but there is no light showing.…

You are a house. You live in this house; you move in this house; you exist in this house. The foundation of your house is your belief system, and the bricks laid are thoughts that you allow inside your head. Some houses are strong and large. Some are beautiful and…

How do you say goodbye for now to someone you love so much? Someone so precious—to us, so perfect. Only 40 years old, our youngest child, Robin, fought the good fight of faith against one of life’s greatest enemies. After a seven-year battle with cancer she left to be forever…

Right from the start, James and I came to a crucial agreement, one we believe is supported by the words of the Bible. We agreed not to indulge in compulsive spending and not to try to impress people with any of the stuff we had. As James likes to say,…

As we celebrate the birth of Christ and the hope that He alone can offer, let us remember the families in Newtown, Connecticut, and pray that God will supernaturally draw near to them in their time of deep, deep loss. Our hearts are broken for them. Those who lost their…