Father's Day is a day to remember that God made dads. And when they break, and they can and often do, only He can fix them. 2 Samuel 18:24-19.2; Proverbs 17:6; Ephesians 6:1-4The Bible is very practical and plain, sometimes disturbingly so. Like in the Continue Reading
June 8, 2013
Journey of a Lifetime: How New Disciples of Jesus Grow
Have you trusted in the resurrected and living Christ?[1] Then God has revealed to you that according to His Word, the Holy Scriptures,[2] your faith is a gift of God,[3] not earned or deserved, and freely bestowed upon you by the Lord of life.[4] Your Continue Reading
June 6, 2013
Now and Forever: The Inseparable Love of God in Christ in Romans 8:35-39
What are the most transformative words in the world for believers? My friend, John Guest, says that the most powerful words in the world are, "God loves you."[1] I don't disagree. Yet, for many believers who are passing through the storms of life, the Continue Reading
May 25, 2013 4 Comments
Charge to our Graduates from My Sickbed
My beloved colleagues in the Gospel of God's grace, and graduates: I congratulate you and your families on this remarkable achievement. You will look back upon these days as sacred times when the Lord fulfilled His promises to you as you accepted your Continue Reading
May 13, 2013 1 Comment
Why Expository Preaching is the Power for Pastoral Ministry
• How can we have an effective pastorate? • How can our ministries, our preaching, support church health? • How can we be faithful in our ministries? There is a parable for young preachers in Walt Disney's Dumbo, the little circus elephant that Continue Reading
April 4, 2013
A Call To Repent And Believe In Jesus Christ
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord (Acts 3.19) Not too long ago I saw a bumper sticker that announced, “Jesus is the Answer.” The driver (who was speeding in fact) was Continue Reading
March 22, 2013 2 Comments
Thoughts on Faith from a Garden in March and Pastoral Ministry
For a gardener, like myself, March is an in-between month. The dried, gray-brown stalks on the oak leaf hydrangea, left over from last autumn, stand at attention, like a proud, old war veteran in his outdated, ill-fitting military uniform. And like a Continue Reading
March 12, 2013
Difficult but Necessary: Relinquishing Leadership in Winter to Renew in Another Season of Ministry
March 11, 2013 Dearly Beloved in the Lord: I greet you in the name of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. I write you to also make an announcement that must come on the heels of a series of providences that both surprised me and have tried me—body and Continue Reading
March 1, 2013
The Wordsmith Journal Magazine Interview
The following interview was conducted by veteran journalist Mary Nichelson of TheWordsmithJournalMagazine.com and appears at http://www.thewordsmithjournalmagazine.com/interviews.html. Quoting from the site: "Mary supports publishers by interviewing Continue Reading
Being a Pastor and Speaking Out in Today’s Culture
A pastor I know recently told me that he was criticized for being “too political.” He has heard such an indictment all his ministry, he said. Today he leads a major ministry in America and battles daily for the rights of pastors to speak so that Continue Reading