God’s ultimate goal for humanity is for peace to blanket the earth. His Son, Jesus Christ, was called the “Prince of Peace” by Isaiah the prophet (Isaiah 9:6). That’s because Isaiah saw another day on the prophetic horizon. He described that day as a time when nations would beat their swords into plowshares, and their…
Religion Makes Enemies / Jesus Makes Friends
We are trained to make enemies. From birth it’s always “us versus them.” Black vs. whites. Conservatives vs. liberals. Rich vs. poor. Republican vs. Democrat. Americans vs. whoever we’re at war with. Let’s be honest: sometimes Christians are the worst. Calvinists vs. Arminians. Complementarians vs. egalitarians. Charismatics vs. cessationists. Catholics vs. Protestants. As if the world…
Lent: Uncluttering of the Soul
The sabbatical started more suddenly and violently than anticipated. A high fever, a few scans, multiple masses, possibly a lethal abscess… the specialists convened, conferred, counseled me to cancel all engagements, and began cutting. The reduction had begun. Though the masses, thankfully, were all benign, my body did not respond well to the invasion. The…
Flaming Torches and Living Promises
Doubt. He’s a nosy neighbor. He’s an unwanted visitor. He’s an obnoxious guest. Just when you were all prepared for a weekend of relaxation… just when you pulled off your work clothes and climbed into your Bermuda shorts… just when you unfolded the lawn chair and sat down with a magazine and a glass of…
I Think You’re Wrong… But
“How are you?” In most places, we’re conditioned to give a short, non-answer to this question. “How are you?” Fine. Great. We love that in most churches these answers don’t get it done. “Tell me more” is implied. “How are you? Fine. Great. “And?” And it took us thirty-seven minutes to get in the car…
Marriage Solutions: You Need a New Fight Strategy
So what if God’s answer is that you need to resolve the issue — and talk it out — with your spouse? There are a number of problem-solving methods. Ours is simple and it works. Let’s go through the steps. 1. Pray that God will guide you through the process, and then agree with your…
Jesus, I Need Your Grace
That Difficult Person Dear Jesus, I need Your help. Someone is making my life difficult. I have tried to be kind and patient — You know I have, Lord. But there have been times when I’ve lost my temper — You know that too. I’ve said unkind things and thought even worse things. Our relationship…
Learning to Love… Sacrificially, Passionately, and Crazily!
Dr. John Barger gave an extraordinary address to a gathering of men on December 12, 1987. The address included his testimony of how he had walked the road from being a domineering husband to a serving one. The crux of the message, however, wasn’t just that husbands can do better. We all know that. What…
The Lie: There Is No Devil
The Truth: The Devil of the Bible is real and he is our enemy. In the moments after my baptism, after that soggy hug with Miss Kay, we stood outside the church building. There Miss Kay told me what Jason had said. She said, “Jason asked, ‘Does this mean the Devil doesn’t live in Daddy…
When You Believe in God But Won’t Forgive
When my little sister, Lisa, was born on my third birthday, my parents told me that she was my birthday present from God. We’ve been inseparable ever since. Of course we endured occasional sibling rivalries and conflicts, but she was always my baby sis, whom I loved as much as anyone else in the world.…