“For the Christian, every day is Thanksgiving Day.” — Billy Graham Consider the word “Thanksgiving”, and invariably images of family gatherings come to mind. Such gatherings with turkey dinners, pumpkin pies, fall decorations, football, and tryptophan grogginess are all too common in American homes. This may be what Thanksgiving has become but it is not the…
Sacred Roots: Why the Church Still Matters
Welcome to the post-religious age — where the once clean-cut ideas about faith and Christianity are breaking down. Suddenly, things don’t seem as simple as whether someone is churched or unchurched. Christian or not. In or out. The very language our culture uses has shifted to accommodate this new landscape. There are new disclaimers and…
Multi-Careering: Leading a Life That Means Something
No matter what stage in life we find ourselves – fresh out of college, nearing retirement, or somewhere in-between – at some point we all find ourselves wrestling with deeply personal and theological questions of vocation, calling, and purpose. These challenging questions don’t come with easy answers, but when considering who could best address this…
Open Your Eyes
If you knew you only had a few days left to see the world with your eyes, what would you do? After his visit to the USC football games and practices, Jake turned to his other true love: golf. Jake loves to golf, and he’s an exceptional player. So he started planning a golf trip…
The Real Meaning of Christmas
We hear it all the time, “don’t forget the meaning of Christmas.” Yet how many people know the real meaning of Christmas? According to a survey released this week by the American Bible Society, 94% of Americans celebrate Christmas but only 15% of Americans read the Bible’s account of the birth of Christ as part of their…
One Light Still Shines
I’d like to tell you a love story. I could tell another story instead. I could recount a gruesome, premeditated murder. I could describe unspeakable acts. I could take you behind the scenes into the shielded private world of my Amish neighbors as they mourned the horrific losses of their daughters, granddaughters, nieces, sisters, and…
An Attitude of Gratitude
A grateful heart sees each day as a gift. Thankful people focus less on what they lack and more on the privileges they have. I attended a banquet recently in which a wounded soldier was presented with the gift of a free house. He nearly fell over with gratitude. He bounded onto the stage with…
When You Think You’re Not Qualified
David, the Underdog When you think of unqualified underdogs in the Bible, you have to look no further than David. David has always been a favorite Bible figure for me. I can relate to David on a lot of levels. He was a real guy with real flaws and a real heart for God and…
Let God Define Good
God at times permits tragedies. He permits the ground to grow dry and stalks to grow bare. He allows Satan to unleash mayhem. But he doesn’t allow Satan to triumph. Isn’t this the promise of Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who…
From Addict to Free
I want to introduce you to Herbert. Herbert is a member of Transformation Church, and he is my friend. But, he wasn’t always my friend, or a member of Transformation Church. Here’s the story of how we met. One evening my family and I went to dinner with friends at an Italian restaurant near our…