God, Why Are You Hiding?
When I reflect on the days when my daughter was a toddler, there is a scene that still brings a smile to my face. She could not have been more than eighteen months old, but what intuition she had already developed. My wife and I were busy doing chores around the house when it dawned
Nine Lessons We Learn From Failure
I’ve had plenty of success in my ‘career’ in ministry. Probably too much for my own good. But I’ve had a few whopping failures too, the most recent being a six-year attempt to resurrect my denomination’s Sunday schools. However, all failure is not loss. Even failures can be successful, if we learn from them. What
Who Will Be the First to Cancel Easter?
After major efforts by millions of evangelicals to make our point about the secularization of Christmas, we were faced with churches canceling their services on Christmas Day. Talk about shooting ourselves in the foot and becoming the laughing stock of the secular humanists. We have, once again, provided the ammunition for the guns aimed at
Moses: The Glory of Service (Part 2)
Moses gives us a second encouragement. God’s glory will not only sustain you, but God’s glory will also change you. Do you want to know the best way to grow as a Christian? It’s this—serve God. For seven years it was my privilege to pastor the Moody Church in Chicago, and I read extensively about
Divine Order
Anyone who truly knows me is well aware that I am not the most mechanically inclined person on planet earth. I have learned the hard way it is best to not even pretend that I am. Several years ago, I had a watch that simply needed the battery changed. I worked for quite a while
Onward Christian Spenders
While evangelicals have not fully got their way at the ballot box we may now get it at the cash register. We’re discovering American business is more responsive to our desires than American government. Business leaders who scoff at the almighty God do not scorn the almighty dollar. I was reading yesterday in the Euro-centered The Economist magazine
Lessons Learned in the Ministry
From time to time, as I talk to young preachers, they’ll ask me, “What kind of advice would you give me?” Usually they want a nutshell of wisdom (be careful about anything that can be put in a nutshell; it’s usually for nuts). In fact, I have made a few discoveries along the way. Some are original;
Moses: The Glory of Service (Part 1)
Among others at the Mount of Transfiguration were Moses and Elijah. Moses, of course, represented the Law, and Elijah represented the Prophets. Moses died and was buried, yet he was with the Lord Jesus in glory. Elijah never did die. He was taken home to glory in a whirlwind. I think these two men pictured
A Trip to Oz
One of the most watched movies of all time is the children’s favorite, The Wizard of Oz. I doubt if there is a child out of the last four generations that has missed seeing it. Isn’t it amazing how the characters have maintained their youth? Their story is still as relevant today as it was when
How Do Men Learn Differently From Women?
A modest research to get us started… It is no secret that the church is more attractive to women than to men, especially Sunday School and small group Bible studies. While some argue the American Christian church is made up of 70% women and only 30% men, the ratio varies widely depending on the age,
Christmas is Coming…Buy Books!
With the coming of Christmas, we’re all getting our lists together of what we will give to our friends and family. Most of what we will buy will have no eternal value. They will wear out, become boring or break. Some will be out of style before we get the credit card bill. Much of
James: The Glory of Suffering (Part 2)
The second truth is that suffering and glory go together. You can have suffering without glory. Many unsaved people suffer, but they have no lasting glory. You can have suffering without glory, but you cannot have glory without suffering. Satan promises glory without suffering. He offered it to Jesus when he showed Him all the kingdoms