The church of the twenty-first century needs to awaken from its moral slumber. In this age of “enlightenment,” we have been taught to be tolerant. We have gone soft on the exposition of the Scriptures. We have learned to ignore sin rather than deal with it. We have adopted the flawed notion that God’s grace […]
Read MoreCategory Archives: Encouragement & Healing
The Freedom of Forgiving
Have you been hurt so deeply that you feel trapped by the pain? Living with the memories of the offense feels like you’re locked in a stone fortress. Roaming the dark hallways, you search for an escape from the looming images of betrayal that line the walls. No way out appears, save one—the way of […]
Read MoreFacing the Tough Stuff of Inadequacy: When the Truth Comes Out
Imposter. Pretender. Fraud. Call it insecurity, fear of failure, or an identity crisis: Most men are driven by an unspoken, and often unacknowledged, sense of inadequacy. What’s more, they fear that their inadequacy will be exposed and their true identity will be revealed. They will be found out as the poser they really are. Posing […]
Read MoreWhen Jesus Fails Your Expectations
John the Baptist struggled with his own sermon. He had preached about the Messiah’s kingdom coming with power and justice. But instead, Jesus’s ministry centered on preaching and on acts of mercy, and John found himself unfairly wasting away in prison near the blistering shores of the Dead Sea. Gentle Jesus hardly seemed the political […]
Read MoreHow Can I Deal with My Fear?
Question: I was hurt in the past when some relationships went bad, and now I’m afraid of starting new relationships. When I attend church, I keep to myself. Even at work, I don’t talk much with people. I know that’s not right. How can I honor God and point others to Him without building relationships? […]
Read MoreEverything Is Under Control
At the heart of life’s major struggles is a theological issue. Putting it in the form of a question: “Is God in charge or is He not?” If we could, by some wonderful force from heaven, be allowed to slip from this earth in our present state and into the glory of heaven, we would […]
Read MoreAn Anniversary America Will Never Forget
The date September 11, 2001, is forever etched in the national memory of the United States. That morning stands as the never-to-be-forgotten morning when time stood still. Wherever we were, we stared in horror and confusion. With calculated and unconscionable malice, beastly terrorists stabbed our nation repeatedly in the heart—at the World Trade Center in […]
Read MoreChanging Our Minds, Changing Our Lives
The opening line of the sermon was: “What you believe about life affects everything about how you live your life.” The congregation quieted and heard once again: “What you believe about life affects everything about how you live your life.” Sometimes we believe happiness will eventually show up, or we might suppose, “If I do […]
Read MoreBreaking Point: One Pastor’s Story of Pain, Porn, Addiction, and Redemption
It’s 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday, and I’m logging on the Internet to check my email, read a newspaper article, and begin research for Sunday’s sermon. Well, that’s what I’m trying to convince myself. But I know exactly what I’m doing. When my secretary leaves at two, I will be alone in the building. I will […]
Read MoreA Joyful Heart . . . It’s Good Medicine!
A few things in life are absolutely tragic. Some are mysteriously strange. Many, however, are just plain funny. There isn’t a day that passes in which I fail to see, hear, or read something that makes me smile. And because laughter is such effective therapy, I’m grateful that God dispenses this divine medication so frequently. […]
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