Reading with the Pastor Psalms 64-65 “Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; Preserve my life from dread of the enemy.” Psalm 64:1 (ESV) I am reading a book written by one of my professors from seminary. For years I have looked upon him as one of the great gifts to the … More Fighting Depression and Anxiety Well
The American Church is losing the war. I’m not thinking of the cultural war, or the war against abortion, or the war against same-sex marriage, or the war being waged against the faith of our children, or the war for respect among the elites in the media. I’m thinking of a much more important war … More The American Church is Losing the War.
While meditating on Psalm 105, some simple lines to remind my soul that there is such a thing as glory. With apologies to Rich Mullin, there is glory in every page of Scripture if we rightly discern its subject. However circuitious, the subject is always Christ. God’s glory is on display and we all need … More There is Such a Thing as Glory
Four days before the World Trade Center Bombings I was meditating on Psalm 42. Sometimes God is preparing our hearts for things we don’t even know we need. So for all of you who are fine right now, there’s no tragedy you are fighting against, no illness you are seeking to overcome, no relationship that … More When Wounded Hearts Heal
You probably have never heard of it before but this story about a Ukrainian baptist family in World War II should thrill your soul if you love Jesus. I suspect it also might start to make the rounds as a children’s sermon at Christmas time in churches that have them as a part of their … More Have You Heard About the Room UNDER the Manger?
Tragic truth: 90 percent of this post was written before the shooting in California occured in anticipation that it was only a matter of time before it would be needed. More evidence of a deep sickness at the core of American society in these shootings in California. It is yet another indiscriminate shooting by a … More Before the Shooting in California
“Visit a church on Sunday morning—almost any will do—and you will likely find a congregation comfortably relating to a deity who fits nicely within precise doctrinal positions, or who lends almighty support to social crusades, or who conforms to individual spiritual experiences. But you will not likely find much awe or sense of mystery. The … More The Trivialization of God (and the Church)
David Wilkerson was a man mightily used of God. He died in 2011 and today lives with Jesus. In this short vignette from his life you will see part of what made him such a powerful instrument in the hand of God. I’m not only inspired by his life but encouraged as well. I’m encouraged … More What Entangles Your Life? I Dare You to Ask the Question.
Friday Musings Psalm 102:1–7, 12-14, 18-19 (ESV) A prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the Lord. 1 Hear my prayer, O Lord; . let my cry come to you! 2 Do not hide your face from me . in the day of my distress! . Incline your ear … More When Pain is the Avenue to Beauty
Today I was reading an prayer book from my library and found a note from my now 30-year-old son from probably his 8th or 9th year. I had placed it there as a bookmark. He wrote it to me one Fall when he and his two sisters and my incredible wife were traveling to West … More Finding Surprises
