Why does one seek ever increasing numbers of persons to pray on their behalf? Do we think that by getting our prayer request listed on as many prayer lists as possible and sharing it via social networks with folks we hardly know, the sheer numbers will impress God and thus win favor and produce a…
With over a million acres charred by wind-swept wild fires, the state’s governor has asked Texans to pray for rain. Is it right to pray for rain? While it needs no political personality to make the call, praying for rain is biblical. Elijah prayed for rain and God sent rain (James 5:17-18). The Psalmist implied…
Hundreds of thousands of acres have burned this week across the southwestern part of the U.S. People have been evacuated, homes have been destroyed, the earth has been scorched. The Psalmist wrote, “The earth is the Lord’s and all its fullness” (Ps. 24:1). Question: Is that chaired earth still the Lord’s? Answer: Absolutely! What about…
Next Sunday we celebrate Palm Sunday – a Sunday fit for a King. Hundreds of years before Jesus, Zechariah, in the midst of his future visions, prophesied, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on…
Opening Day of baseball season is one of my favorite days of the year. I’ve been attending since my Dad used to get me out of school and take me to the opening day game of the Houston Buffaloes of the Texas League. I go to watch baseball. Last week I attended opening day again…
Some windows are large, others small. Some are cute but have limited benefit. A few have spiritual significance. There are round windows, rectangular windows, storm windows, solar windows, stained glass windows. Regardless of the size, shape, or significance, all windows do at least three things: (1) They shut out – wind, dust, heat, bugs, etc.,…
I’m in my second home-city this week – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I first came to this beautiful city more than thirty years ago to lead a collegiate retreat. Then for eighteen years I brought a class of Southwestern Seminary students to Vancouver every summer on an Urban Evangelism practicum. Today, I am on the…
God doesn’t lie. That’s why not everyone who arrives in heaven will hear “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21, 23). Those who receive that welcome will be those who have done well; those who have served faithfully and good. As sure as I am of this truth, I am likewise sure that last…
For twenty-two years, my annual assignment was to coordinate the training and placement of approximately 100 Seminary student, hope-to-be preachers into small churches located outside of the Bible-belt for the purpose of conducting spring-break revival meetings. The most difficult part was not the training of the students; it was knowing where to place them. So…
Requirements are easy to identify in the world of education. Teachers make assignments. Students understand what is required. They are fairly easy to identify in the medical world. Doctors examine you and tell you what is required for you to do or take or undergo. In the athletic world coaches develop a game plan and…