Christmas isn’t all happy. Trying to make it that way actually diminishes our enjoyment and meaning of this sacred season. Consider the first Christmas. The backdrop is that God’s people go four centuries without hearing a word from God. When God finally speaks, Zechariah (John the Baptist’s father) refuses to believe it and is struck…
The warmth of God’s presence can be elusive. In his secret journal Henri Nouwen is vulnerable about a dark season in which he couldn’t feel God’s love. He’d helped millions of other people around the world into a more tender and intimate experience with God, but he was in a Dark Night of the Soul.…
It was a defining moment when I faced my fear of failing and looking foolish in the most important purpose of my life. Before I tell you that story let’s chat a bit about success and failure. We all want to be a success. We want to make a positive difference for God and for…
One Sunday in a small town church families are worshiping God together with children playing and dancing happily. The next Sunday a madman shoots half those people, killing 26. That was the scene at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas two days ago. November 5, 2017 marks the deadliest church shooting in US history.…
When I was a young adult, I read in the Bible, “Do not be anxious about anything”—and immediately I felt more anxious! Has that ever happened to you? I thought, What’s wrong with me? I’m a Christian, but clearly not a good Christian. I’m not supposed to be anxious — and I’m basically anxious all the…
Kristi and I have been praying for people who were impacted by the hurricanes. In church this week we sang: “He loves like a hurricane. I am a tree bending beneath the waves and winds of his mercy.” (From “How He Loves” by John Mark McMillan) Is this true? Is this good to sing? It…
Often we are afraid to hope and be disappointed. But without hope we have nothing! All good things come from hope. Hope is the anticipation of God doing something good for you. The Bible says hope is the spring for faith and love (Colossians 1:5). Also, “Hope is an anchor for your soul” (Hebrews 6:19).…
Gentled by grace. That’s the incredible and inspiring story of Abba Moses the Black. He was a violent thief who became a humble and kind monk and one of the great Desert Fathers who served the Lord Jesus Christ in the 4th Century. From his life we see an example of how we can overcome our…
Our Prince of Peace told us to expect troubles and to “take heart” from him and how he dealt with them (Matthew 9:22; Mark 6:50; John 16:33). The Apostles in their many persecutions and sufferings encouraged us to follow the Lord’s example: Paul taught, “Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for…
“God Doesn’t Answer Prayer.” That’s what my friend Pastor Jeff McCrory heard himself say to his small group Bible Study. “My hurt was talking,” he recalls. We know that the Bible says things like, “Call to me and I will answer…” (Jeremiah 33:3) But sometimes it feels like God is not responding to our prayers. “Why…