Abe Lincoln knew a lot about a lot of things, but something he knew exceptionally well was how to influence people. This post touches on two things that Lincoln did that put him in the hall of fame of leaders and they are simple enough that anyone who's willing to pay attention can do. The... Continue Reading →
Yesterday was a spiritually supercharged day for me. I had been praying for a crucial conversation needing to be had for a couple of weeks and it went very well. Because of all the prep that went into it, I believe I experienced a deeper communion with God as a result. I had two other... Continue Reading →
In 2010, my family and I were in north central Ohio where I was pastoring a small church. We didn't have a copy machine so I was going to Office Depot weekly to have the bulletins printed for our Sunday services. I was in the van with my daughter, who at that time was around... Continue Reading →
Prayer is always the forerunner of divine mercy. Even a short glance at Christian history uncovers that great mercies are seldom known separated from supplication. This is also true of personal experience. There are showers of unsolicited favor but still great prayer has been the prelude of great mercy within. When peace was found by... Continue Reading →
Click the link to listen as a soundtrack for this post. We were freshman, it was April of '96, and she'd just turned 18. I fell in love with her reading Calvin and Hobbes while sharing an oversized chair at a Barnes and Noble in Springfield Missouri. I don't know if it was strategic on my... Continue Reading →
I bought this Bible at the bookstore of my college 20 years ago. I'd love to say it was a purchase based on need, but it was mostly out of envy. All the cool guys from Kansas City had a wide margin Cambridge KJV. It is a Cambridge but I didn't have the $150 to... Continue Reading →
This is an adaptation of C. H. Spurgeon's devotional thoughts on 1 John 4:19. Loves parent is the love of God shed abroad in the heart (Rom 5:5). After its divine birth, it must also be divinely cultivated. Love is an exotic plant. It will not flourish naturally in human soil because it is planted,... Continue Reading →
I've never been a big U2 fan, but I admit that they are likely the greatest rock band of my generation. Whether you're a fan or not you can't deny the impact they have had on music and culture. Bono is more than just a front man to many. His message has authority from his... Continue Reading →
“You shall have no other gods before me... You shall not covet your neighbor's ...” Exodus 20:3, 17 ESV Francis Schaefer in his book True Spirituality, claims that the bookends of the Ten Commandments deal with gratitude toward God in the first, and toward others in the last. Jesus said the whole law and the... Continue Reading →
I've grown more quiet as I've aged, mainly because of realizing that every word costs me, or somebody, something. As a young man I thought I needed to speak a lot just to be heard. Here's my journey with words: When I was a baby, I learned words. When I became a child, I learned... Continue Reading →
“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,” - Ephesians 5:18 Many well meaning Christians ask God for a filling of the Spirit when what they really want is a feeling of the Spirit. There are many different reasons people desire a filling: evidence of God... Continue Reading →
Luke 17:5 “The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" We ask God to increase our FAITH but what we need is to TRUST that the faith he's already given us is sufficient to cover our needs. Think about it like this. If our life in Christ were a bank account, FAITH would be... Continue Reading →
