Outside of parenting, I can’t think of an area where more Christians feel guilt than prayer. We all know we can pray more often, more specifically and more Biblically. So the guilt level is already high and then Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 2 to pray for all people. First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercesssions and thanksgivings be made for … Continue reading Pray For All People?
There are times in ministry when it feels like nothing you are doing is working and all your efforts are for naught. When you spend a hundred hours with a married couple only to see the marriage dissolve. When you listen, pray and cry with a member in depression only to learn they have committed suicide. When you pour yourself into a disciple only to … Continue reading When Ministry Feels Like Building Sandcastles As The Tide Comes In
One of the things I enjoy most about my job is teaching the Bible. The truth is that much of the Bible is clear and the average reader doesn’t need help to understand what is going on. There are, however, parts of Scripture that can be confusing without certain tools at our disposal. A few months ago, I tried to apply some of these tools … Continue reading Decoding The Prophets
Last week, a landslide referendum in Ireland legalized abortion in that country in the first twelve weeks of a pregnancy. This referendum, being hailed as a step forward in the progress of that country, is anything but. Before I proceed, I want to acknowledge that this is a painful and personal subject for many. I have walked with women in my church through the emotions … Continue reading Why The Ireland Referendum on Abortion Is Not A Step Forward
A prominent pastor this month encouraged us to ‘unhitch’ ourselves from the Old Testament and many Christians became familiar with the term Marcionism, an ancient heresy that claims the God of the Old Testament is different than the God of the New Testament. Plenty has been written on that situation, but it made me think a bit more about how we identify heresy. How can … Continue reading The Root of Christian Heresy
As I scanned my Facebook feed this morning, I noticed a barrage of posts hailing Donald Trump’s decision to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. They weren’t hailing it for political reasons, but Biblical ones. The Jews, they argue, are God’s chosen people and God has earthly promises for them alone as a separate plan of redemption from His plan for Christians. This … Continue reading A Biblical View of the Embassy Move to Jerusalem
To the members of Grace Bible Church, By God’s grace, this summer will mark six years that I have had the privilege of being a pastor at Grace Bible Church. Pastoring at Grace has truly been one of the great privileges of my life. So, it is with sadness, excitement and, above all, deep gratitude that I am resigning my position as Executive Pastor at … Continue reading A Letter to Grace Bible Church
My wife, Angela, and I have the great privilege to speak at FamilyLife’s Weekend to Remember® marriage getaways. Many of the couples who come to these events have healthy marriages and are just attending for encouragement or a tune-up. But we’ve also observed another trend: At each getaway, we have noticed that there are always people who don’t want to be there. In this … Continue reading What’s the Real Problem in Your Marriage?
Almost ten years ago, we experienced one of the greatest joys of our life in the birth of our first child, Turner. Five weeks later we experienced one of the greatest lows of our life in the words “It’s cancer.” A softball size tumor was discovered in Angela’s colon that, according to the doctor, was just weeks away from spreading. Today is a special day … Continue reading 7 Lessons We Learned From Cancer
Angela and I have had the opportunity to live in post-Christian Europe, the Bible Belt South and the melting pot that is Florida. For all their cultural differences, we have noticed that wherever we go people tend to define sin the same way. Just last week we were speaking at a conference in Sacramento, CA (far from the Bible Belt) and we saw it again. … Continue reading The Insanity of Sin
