Emotions felt in certain traumatic events never go away completely. Similarity brings back a flood of feelings. Such was the case this past week. It will soon be thirteen years since the September 15, 1999 shooting at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. Many of the emotions of that night returned last week with…
What happens when your prayer is not in sync with God’s will? It matters little whether you are praying for recovery of relationship, removal of pain, or revival of spirit, if the prayer is outside of God’s will, the answer is different from the request. James wrote, “You ask and do not receive, because you…
The surgery is minor, out-patient type, and rehabilitation is to begin the afternoon of the morning procedure, but I nevertheless sent a notice to my prayer partners concerning the orthoscopic procedure on my knee to be performed this coming Tuesday. Among the replies was a reminder that I should be comforted since on two occasions…
More than physically tiring, the prayer journey around the world, was emotionally draining and spiritually challenging. Having worshipped with underground believers in China, met down a dirt road and sat around a campfire in India, posted a guard nearby so we could have a prayer meeting in Yemen, it was good to be back home….
Have you ever wondered how you can “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5.17)? Those of us who grew up in a church learned this verse early. But how do we follow it? We can’t walk around with our heads bowed and our eyes closed. Other responsibilities call for our attention. You can’t pray all the…
These words haunted me when I was a young believer: “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). It was difficult enough setting an example as the “Pastor’s Kid” but being perfect was an ominous challenge in my youth. It was hard even for me to be good,…
While I was sitting on my front porch one day last week, a blue jay landed by my coffee cup and took a sip. My first ministerial thought (I confess to an earlier thought that was not ministerial.) was surely there is a sermon illustration in this somewhere. Desiring to share my experience and opportunity…
Sometimes you just have to move on. I’m not talking only of geography, but also of moving emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. Life was good in Capernaum. The people were loving, and accepting of Jesus. In fact on one occasion, Mark writes, “The whole city was gathered together at the door” (Mark 1:33) and again, “Everyone…
Today is Memorial Day. Americans have been celebrating this day long enough that we should know it’s meaning by now. The fourth Monday in May is supposed to be a day when we remember and honor those who died at war, fighting for our country. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American…
Faced with a dilemma: which way to go? Do you take the high road or the low? Do you turn right or left? Isaiah understood: “Your ears shall hear a word behind you saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it.’ Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left”…