After These Things
When I was eight years old, I saw something that I could not discern whether serious or comical. I was with my father who was helping a friend clear some property in order to build a house. This man was a hunter and raised beagles. Although I had grown accustomed to their constant howls and
You Deserve a Break Today
Okay, I know your deacons will never go for it. I know the little old lady with the ingrown toenail expects you to be at her outpatient surgery. I know all the excuses about how the devil never takes a day off. Forget all that and hang with me for a moment. First of all,
Psalms 3-4
Are You Sleeping Well?—Psalm 3 How well we sleep sometimes indicates how much we really trust the Lord. David said, “I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me” (v. 5). You may say, “I can do that anytime.” But what if you’d been where David was? He was fleeing from his
A Word to Fathers
A few weeks ago, a scene played out at the car wash that reminded me of the awesome responsibility I have as a father. My son, Seth, tagged along with me to the car wash, and he watched intently as I placed a dollar bill into the change machine. No one was more surprised than
America Needs a Prophet (Part 2)
The prophet is the product of no school. The gift is conferred by no presbytery, and no synod of church dignitaries can unfrock him. His credentials come from a higher court and bear no stamp or seal of mortal man. To God he stands or falls. If he disobeys orders, as one of his kind
Psalms 1-2
Preface to God’s Hymnal – Psalm 1 Have you ever read the preface to the hymnal used in your church? Very few people ever do. All we’re concerned about is singing the songs. The preface to God’s hymnal (the Book of Psalms) is Psalm 1. It begins with a word we use so often—blessed. God
America Needs a Prophet (Part 1)
(If ever a chapter written by Vance Havner was needed, it’s this one. Unfortunately, almost all of Havner’s books are currently out of print. The 20 th century prophet’s voice has been silenced by the profit margin. His is not a popular message, but it is a much-needed messages. I would encourage every pastor and
The Gentile Ministry To The Jews (Part 2)
The Future: Protecting and Preparing Now let’s consider the future. How is God going to use the Gentiles in Israel’s future? Let me remind you that Israel does have a future. One of my great homiletical heroes is Dr. G Campbell Morgan. I love to read his sermons. In one of his letters, however, he
Downsizing
Downsizing will be the coming decade’s biggest trend. Large companies have been doing it for a decade. Government claims to be doing it now. Families and individuals are next. Not that families will start laying off unproductive teenagers or closing outdated houses, but that people will change their value system in the coming decade and
Time Magazine’s Top 100
THE LIVES AND IDEAS OF THE WORLD’S MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE On May 8, 2006, TIME Magazine released their special issue highlighting the 100 most influential people in the world. They broke the list down by leaders and revolutionaries, scientists and thinkers, heroes and pioneers, builders and titans, artists and entertainers. In scanning the magazine, I
The Gentile Ministry To The Jews (Part 1)
(A message delivered to the International Board of Jewish Missions in April 1986) I rejoice that in the three churches I have pastured, I have had the joy of baptizing Jewish believers, Hebrew Christians. Having them in our congregations, we know that they are a very special kind of people, and we thank the Lord
Mary, the Mother of Jesus
Being the sentimental person that I am at heart, I still love to hear stories from my mother of times and events that I was too small to remember. One such story that will forever be etched in my mind happened when I was still bound to life in a crib. By the time I