Articles

I just don’t feel God’s presence in my life. For pastors, counselors, and others in ministry leadership, this is one of those common refrains heard on a regular basis. And yet it’s amazing how a simple phrase can indicate such a deep sense of crisis. In our churches,...

I vividly remember a point in my life when the Bible was completely foreign to me. I had heard and understood the gospel, confessed my sins to the Lord, believed in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, attended church regularly, prayed often, participated in small...

Have you ever lost it—at a time when things were humming along for you? You were feeling good—until someone said or did just the thing to set you off. You got derailed, pushed out of your sweet spot. You stopped listening and started reacting. You no longer felt like...

  When we refuse to sacrifice our time for the sake of busyness or of keeping up with the person next to us, we can get back to the good stuff. We can enjoy the rewards that come from instilling these values in our children. We can get back to the simple joys...

Every Church Can Do Something I remember the first time I learned about orphans as a young boy. It was from a late-night infomercial highlighting starving orphans in Africa. It hit me hard then, and still today, I cannot fathom not having a loving family to take care...

As Adam and Eve left the Great King’s royal garden in Eden, they carried with them not only the consequences of their rebellion but the promise that God would ransom them, and all Creation, from the clutches of sin and death. Like a scarlet ribbon ever unraveling from...

When Christmas Isn’t Joyful On the morning of December 14th, 2012, I sat by the soft glow of my Christmas tree in the pre-dawn stillness. The tranquility of the moment stood in direct contrast with the scene unfolding before me in scripture as I read Matthew chapter...

An old man stoops and grabs a weathered hardback off the shelf. He handles the volume gently, careful not to disturb the fragile binding while returning to his favorite chair, glasses perched on his nose. As he slowly turns the yellowed pages, his eyes dart around the...

Elizabeth sat on the ground, heels tucked beneath her, and kneaded the dough in the bowl in front of her. A strand of gray hair slipped from beneath her head covering and clung to the perspiration running down her temple. After a moment she grimaced, sat up straight,...

If you listened to my Christmas playlist, you’d quickly get bored. It’s essentially every version of O Holy Night available on Spotify. Even though they’ve left out some verses, my favorite version is still the *NSYNC cover. Oh, holy night! The stars are brightly...