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FAITH’S SHELF LIFE – All faith on Earth has a shelf life. At one point, all two million of the children of Israel had faith to walk through a parted Red Sea. Giant walls of water surrounded them. A vengeful Egyptian army followed hard behind. It was a good day…

DEVASTATING OPPORTUNITIES – How should you respond if you feel like you’re being consistently bombarded by one devastating experience after another? In Acts 27, after barely surviving a shipwreck, Paul is bitten by a poisonous snake while warming himself by a fire. How does Paul react to this series of disasters?…

MY BEST FRIEND’S NAME – My best friend’s first name is Holy. So, when I hear someone change His last name, often to something inappropriate or vulgar, it offends me. Think of your last name. How would you like someone to add one of the hurtful words you’ve heard people use…

BORING CHRISTIANITY – As a young Christ-follower, I coined the phrase, “If it’s boring, it’s not of God.” It was a bit overstated, but it made a good point: the God who makes galaxies is not predictable, unexciting, and repetitious, and so, if we are authentically representing Him, neither should…

THE “DREAM” RELATIONSHIP – Are you looking for a committed relationship with someone incredible who will be utterly faithful to you all the days of your life? Sounds fantastic. You could call it “The Dream Relationship of All Time?” It’s not a pipe dream. God wants a relationship with you infinitely…

DREAM BIGGER . . . NOT SMALLER – Is your vision for your life increasing or shrinking? Are your thoughts about your future getting larger or smaller, believing for more or less? Satan knows all that’s ahead for him is isolation and insignificance; therefore, his primary goal is to make…

WHINING WHEN DOORS CLOSE – Each of us, at times, will experience doors closing that we desperately wanted to stay open. But if we wait on God and trust Him, we’ll see He wants to open better doors. In Acts 18, many Jews were rejecting Paul’s teaching about Christianity. This…

HOW TO LEARN TO TRUST GOD – Are you looking for another opportunity to grow your trust in Jesus? It’s coming. But it will look like your prayers were NOT answered. In John 11, when Lazarus had died, some were discouraged. Jesus rejoiced that He could now give His disciples…

“NO ONE WILL EXPECT IT” – Over the holidays, I played a pick-up tag football game with some of my teenage grandsons and their friends. I hadn’t done much to help or hurt our team, but I was having fun. In the huddle, before one play, our 16-year-old quarterback whispered,…

BLIND IN PARADISE – Recently, someone invited me to play golf at what is considered the most beautiful golf course in the United States. It was truly majestic. Hole after hole on the ocean in the Pacific Northwest. Our caddy had been working there for many years, and even worked a…

A Nation Waiting To Be Conquered – Have you ever wondered what it takes for a nation to be conquered? What took out the Roman and Grecian Empires? The same thing that upends individuals. Moral and social decay, internal divisions, economic decline, and being invaded by enemies. They were porous to…

BEWARE OF REVENGE In Acts 16, after Paul and Silas were inappropriately beaten by their captors and thrown in jail, city leaders realized that these two men were Roman citizens and begged them to leave their city. Paul and Silas could have been revengeful for their mistreatment and enacted Roman…

BANGING ON A COCKPIT DOOR Have you ever banged on the cockpit door of a commercial jet demanding to know if the pilot knew what he was doing? Probably not. So, you’re trusting a complete stranger with your life when you fly. I’ve done it hundreds of times. How much…

WHAT DO YOU SAY ABOUT YOURSELF?  When thousands went out into the wilderness to be baptized by John the Baptist, Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed . . . I am not the Christ. . . . What then? Are…

WHEN THINGS ARE ROUGH All of us want our lives to go smoothly, even though Jesus promised they won’t. It’s been said, “When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” (Henry Ford) So too in life. The lift…

HOW TO SEE A MIRACLE Would you like to see Jesus do a miracle in your life? I’m sure you would. But you’ll have to go to Him to see it. In Luke 23, Herod had waited a long time to see Jesus do a miracle, but never saw one…

WHY I DO WHAT I DO  Why I do what I do is more important than anything I could ever accomplish for God. John 5 says that because the Father loves the Son, He shows Him everything He is doing. Love is the only truly pure reason to do anything…

ALL-IN MOMENTS Hebrews 11 provides a Faith Equation that challenges us to discern the “All-In Moments” God is sending our way. The chapter begins by asserting “…without faith it is impossible for us to please God,” (Hebrews 11:1) affirming the reality that the more we step out in genuine faith,…

GOD’S RESPONSE TO INSECURITYAfter spending 40 years in a wilderness, having fled for his life from Egypt, God appears to Moses in a Burning Bush and tells him to return to Egypt and lead the captive nation of Israel out of slavery. Moses, fully stripped of every vestige of self-confidence,…

GOD’S FOOTPRINTS –Jesus sent two of His disciples into Jerusalem to supernaturally meet a man who would take them to a room fully prepared for their Last Supper. When this happened exactly as Jesus predicted, it increased their faith for other predictions Jesus had made about His and their future….

ATTACHED TO NOTHING – I’m always amazed at how committed people are to nothingness; to believing that they came from nowhere and are going nowhere after they die. They proclaim it as if they know it for sure; even trying to convert other people to their point of view. That…

GETTING THE LAST LAUGH – We all love to laugh. There’s actually something therapeutic and healing about it. As the Bible says, “A cheerful disposition is good for your health.” (Proverbs 17:22) Therefore, whoever laughs last, has to be having the most fun. We see this in Mark 5, when…

I WANT “JUDGE JESUS!” – None of us like being judged, but whether we like it or not, it’s going to happen. Perhaps you’re thinking, “If I confess my sins to Jesus, He’s going to punish me.” If you believe this, you’re going to be disappointed. When the woman was…

WHY I DO WHAT I DON’T WANT – Do you find yourself doing things you don’t want to do? Impossible! You wouldn’t be doing them if you didn’t want to. HA! You just need a BIGGER “WANT.” In Romans 7, Paul the Apostle had the same problem, “I don’t really understand…

IT’S NOT TOO LATE – One of the biggest deceptions people believe about their lives, is that it’s too late for them to have a significant and meaningful change. It’s the truth that haunts the devil the most but, likewise, it’s the lie that robs each of us. C.S. Lewis wisely…

YOU HAVE WHAT YOU WANT – Most people wake up every day wanting more. They’re tired of what they have. The irony is, in many cases they have what they thought they wanted. You have the relationship with Jesus you’re willing to have. You have the connection with God’s Word…

THE PRICE GOD PAID Receiving Jesus is easy . . . following Him is much harder . . . and pleasing Him through human effort is, frankly, impossible. The reason we’ll spend eternity praising and thanking Jesus for what He has done, and not showering one another with accolades of…

HEALING SPAM I get messages every day that promise to rectify problems in my computer or phone. Ironically, they are just hackers trying to do the very thing they claim they want to fix. Like Satan, they offer a broad way that only leads to destruction. They “roam about like…

EGOLESS CONFIDENCE – The other day, I was considering the difference between Confidence and Pride. It’s important I know the answer. Pride is having a higher estimation of who God created me to be. The Bible guarantees it leads to destruction. On the other hand, insecurities and lacking confidence in…

THE PATIENCE OF GOD – There is perhaps no greater demonstration of God‘s patience and long-suffering than the fact that we continue to hear His message of forgiveness, whether we have responded to it or not. The Apostle Peter, a man who denied Jesus and knew he was forgiven much,…

CHOOSING THE UNSHAKABLE –  It would be hard to find someone today whose life is not being shaken. It seems everything that can be shaken is being shaken. So, how can we make our lives “unshakable?” Two words. Fear and Awe. I know, they sound more like the problem than…

REACHING BEYOND THE KNOWN – In the Gospel of Luke, chapter four, Jesus said, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.” (Luke 4:24, NLT) This challenge is common to all of us. Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. At times, we may find we are not respected by those…

MY BATTLE WITH PREJUDICE – Each of us have our own journey when it comes to prejudice. Mine is different from most. I am 100% Sicilian. Sicily is a small island below Italy. My father was born there and came to America as an immigrant. Since he was a leader…

FEELING UNWORTHY? – Do you ever feel completely unworthy of God using you because of past sins, even those you committed as a Christ follower? I’ve certainly had to deal with this. Our sins were many and truly ugly. But we’re not alone. Think of the original apostles. One denied…

INCREASING IN FAVOR – Does it ever seem that God favors one person more than another? After further examination of the biblical principle of “favor,” I’ve found that it does, and for good reason. While God’s love is distributed equally: He loves each of us with an  everlasting love, (Jeremiah…

THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE OPTIONS If we knew and could trust the perfect motive and qualities of God. Qualities like goodness, kindness, mercy, and complete forgiveness. And, if we could believe a loving God is madly in love with each of us. With these liberating perspectives: how we see…

FACING YOUR GIANTS All of us want to know what our future will be like. Especially, so we can prepare. Here’s a hint. You will meet the biggest giants you’ll ever face in life, not in your wilderness of wandering, but in your land of promise; not in your seasons…

THEN WHAT? – A pastor friend told me about how Jesus delivered him in his early 20’s out of alcoholism and a promiscuous lifestyle. But, even though he had been truly born again, the temptations didn’t stop. In the process of having his life restored, he decided to take piano lessons….

My “All-In” Moment – Whining about the troubling season I was in, I quipped, “God, what do you want from me?” He quickly responded, “Only what’s best!” Not clear what that could mean, and nervous at the possibilities, I sheepishly said, “And what would that be?” Hoping His response would…

WHAT BLESSINGS DOES GOD HAVE FOR ME? –  One of the greatest gifts God gives us is seeing into His heart; the promises He has for each of us. They’re listed in a Benediction Prayer, found in the Book of Numbers, and was the blessing the High Priest said over…

PROCRASTINATION –  Time is the most precious gift we have. You can lose a house or even a friend, and get them back in the end. But our priceless time on Earth we can never get back. That’s why procrastination is probably the greatest time waster. If we believe there…

OUR GREATEST ADDICTION –  Want to know one of the greatest addictions in life? One you might overlook. It’s our addiction to understand what’s going on before we’re willing to believe. Now, you might tell me, doesn’t the Bible say, “Get wisdom, get understanding…” (Proverbs 4:5, NIV) True! But there’s…

THE VALUE OF NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES – Wouldn’t you like to learn to rely on God and not yourself? The Bible has a surefire plan. Expect to die and then watch God rescue you. It may sound crazy, but that’s exactly what happened to the Apostle Paul. He said, “We do…

Is Your Light Actually Darkness? Have you ever heard pundits on the news and social media proclaiming they have the “high moral ground?” But on further examination of their beliefs, their thoughts are completely contrary to God’s best for our lives. Perhaps we should remember the chilling words of Jesus….

How Does God See Us?   All of us have wondered what God thinks of us. Even after we come to Jesus, we can still wonder. I recently read in the Bible what Paul the Apostle wrote to Christ-followers in Rome. He said, “I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and…

Discernment Defined – Ours is the age of little discernment. Compare Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary definition of the word “discern.” He wrote, “to see or understand the difference…between good and evil, truth and falsehood.” What a tremendous definition! Unfortunately, modern editors corrupted it. The 2015 version of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary…

Danger of Giving into Pain – If you’ve ever suffered with chronic pain, you know how debilitating it can be. How many people have developed opiate addictions in their effort to get free from physical pain? Emotional pain can likewise spark overreactions, leading to tragic consequences. Constant pain can be…

Gossip  Many of us are familiar with the scripture, “A good name is more to be desired than great riches.” (Proverbs 22:1) But what may be less familiar is the verse that says, “…if you want to lose your reputation, all you have to do is gossip.” (Proverbs 25:9-10) Gossip…

Two Greatest Fools Who Ever Lived  This may be the most unusual post I’ve ever shared, but its insight challenges me every day. The greatest fool who ever lived would have to be Judas. He spends 3 1/2 years with Jesus, God come to Earth. He’s given numerous opportunities to…

The “I Don’t Know-ness of God”  All of us, at times, struggle to admit when we are wrong. But, admit it or not, being wrong is a universal human condition. There is, however, one area we can admit to. Either we’ll realize that our assumption was wrong, or, frankly, that…

Smaller Seeds Bring Bigger Harvests  We all long for more. More love, more joy and more peace. All the good stuff! But, it will take more faith to plant a smaller seed. And, from God’s perspective, the smaller the seed, the bigger the harvest. The Shunammite woman thought she had…

Leave Familiar For Fabulous In the Old Testament, the Israelites camped in the wilderness wherever the cloud over the tabernacle stopped. When the cloud moved, they moved. I have found this to be true in my own spiritual life, The cloud of God‘s presence has directed my life and caused…

After a While You Get Used to It  A friend of a missionary was in a coffee shop in Beirut, Lebanon with three other people who had lived in Beirut a very long time. Without warning, a bomb went off nearby. Frightened, his friend jumped out of his chair. Thankfully,…

Perry Como and the Our Father My father was in politics, and lived mostly in Washington D.C. Consequently, my twin brother and I were sent to a two-month long summer camp for nine years, from ages five to fourteen. Every night, the camp loudspeaker would play the “Our Father” sung…

God Finds Us Fascinating There is no one more delighted about who you are than God. So much so, He thinks about you all the time. Actually, He created you and I, envisioning us spending eternity with Him. And that’s one of the reasons why He made each of us…

Living Present, Fully Awake We are all wired differently. Each of us are given one-of-a-kind temperaments and personalities that are designed by God to connect with Him and others. So, the older I get, the more awake I want to be. Fully present in every conversation. Looking into people’s eyes…

Saying, “I Believe!” The other day I heard myself pray, “God, I want to believe.”      It got my attention. My prayer was weak and unconvincing. Upon further reflection, I realized this type of unbelieving prayer had become a pattern in my life. I was begging God, rather than agreeing with…

Emotional Shock and Awe In our ever-changing, 24-hour news cycle, media saturated world, what used to be experienced as a periodic catastrophic event, now comes across the airwaves as a constant assault on our emotional wellbeing. Many in the next generation never follow the news. They’ve been deluged from birth…