Tennessee Williams once said; “Life is partly what we make it, and partly what is made by the friends we choose.” What a powerful statement. How important it is to have a good friend. In our culture, we mostly have “buddies.” Buddies are people we call when we need something. ...

The 11th chapter of the Gospel of John has been on my heart and on my heart and in my mind lately. It is an exciting chapter of scripture, yet at the same time it is a little confusing. The 11th chapter of John is where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. It is a confusing scripture because of all the attitudes in this passage. I am going to focus on John 11:45-50...

Tennessee Williams once said; “Life is partly what we make it, and partly what is made by the friends we choose.” What a powerful statement. How important it is to have a good friend. In our culture, we mostly have “buddies.” Buddies are people we call when we need something. ...

“I know who I believe in, and I am persuaded that he is able.” Those are the words of the Apostle Paul to his spiritual son Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:12. Paul was speaking of his hardships and suffering. In a way, he is promising to young Timothy that he too would go through situations that he would not understand, yet his trust must remain in Jesus...

Last week Heidi and I went to a visitation in another town. We traveled there to give our condolences to some friends of ours who were laying the matriarch of their family to rest. We arrived and greeted our loved ones, who introduced us to other members of their family. ...

1 Peter 1:3 says; “Praise be to the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his great mercy, he had given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that can never spoil, perish or fade.”...

One of my favorite characters in all of scripture is Joseph. When I say Joseph, you are probably thinking of Joseph from the book of Genesis. “Coat of many colors” Joseph. Jacob’s son Joseph who was favored by his father and resented by his brothers...

I have always believed in intentional fatherhood. From the time my girls were little, I did my best to give them my time and my affection. I learned as a parent at a young age that the best thing I could do for them is give them all the affection I could possibly give them...

Over the past few years, there has been a little tree that has rooted itself in my flower garden in front of my house. I cut the little tree and chop it down and then all of a sudden in a couple of weeks it starts sprouting again. It is a sign that the roots are deep...

udying the scriptures, I find something about Psalm 100 extremely satisfying to my soul. Psalm 100 and its five verses pack more power and wisdom than any novel or leadership book. It’s five verses that say much about living an incredible life. ...

It is amazing how fast time goes. Our kids did not stay young for very long! Time flies by. Heidi and I have two daughters. Hannah is our oldest and she will be 24 soon. She received her degree in psychology in 2021 and now serves on my staff as an executive pastor. Abigail will be 20 in less than two months. This fall, she will be a junior at Evangel University. She is working towards a degree in elementary education. She’s also getting married on Aug. 6...

In Luke 13:10-17, we read a story about a woman who has been faithful to the synagogue and has been bound by a spirit. We do not know her name but the woman has been bent over, and unable to straighten herself up for 18 years. She came to the synagogue faithfully, and then one day Jesus was there...

Every once in a while, I like to go to a local hotspot where a lot of people are congregated together, and find a place in the corner and just write. Sometimes it’s writing a sermon. Sometimes I am just taking down my notes and thoughts. Then there are mornings like this one, when I am in the midst of a busy place writing this article. Friends come by and say hello. The locals sit at a table and chatter...

It was just a couple of days ago I was on Facebook and had clicked on a post of a student I had seen grow up in the church. She is a college graduate who has been successful in her career and has also had many challenges. She has battled grief and loss over the past year and like in my case she is grieving the loss of her father...

We live in a time in history where it could be easy to fill our time up by comparing ourselves to others. We no longer live in a consumer culture. We are all publishers. We all have the ability at our fingertips to blog our opinions. We have access and ability to create videos, splice songs into the feed, and much, much more. ...

Transitions are a part of life. Though change can sometimes be scary, we must remember that the acceptance of change is part of our physical, mental and spiritual growth. While I am writing this article, my wife Heidi and I, in just a few short hours, will be taking our youngest daughter shopping to find her wedding dress. So I am going to use myself as a case study. As a dad, I have every possible emotion running through my psyche...

In 1972 there was a man who was working the railroad. He was walking the track and checking the boxcars to make sure everything was secure. He had climbed up into a refrigerated boxcar and when he did, the door accidentally slammed shut and the man was locked inside. ...

In his book, “Win the Day,” author Mark Batterson writes about the practice schedule of a Brooklyn Dodger named George “The Shotgun” Shuba. Shuba was featured in the book “The Boys of Summer.” The author of that book, Roger Kahn, described George Shuba’s swing as being “as natural as a smile.” Ole “Shotgun” Shuba laughed at Kahn’s description of his swing because nothing could be further from the truth. ...

Genesis 3:15 says; “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel.” I find it amazing the immediate response from God concerning sin is a promise of redemption. Heavenly Father decided then and there that he was sending his Son to bring Salvation to the world...

These are certainly interesting times we are living in. As we see our culture changing we must ask this question: How do we defend our faith with dignity and character? To find the answer to this we look to the Book of Daniel 1:1-9, The Book of Daniel shows us how we can excel in dark days...