Thursday, November 3, 2016
I suppose that most folks feel the need for help at some point in life, if not regularly. I know I do. There’s hardly a day that I don’t have a question, face a situation, confront a problem, feel stressed by some burden, or experience the ache of a pressing need that is beyond me. […]
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
It’s a word we often hear, and perhaps use regularly. It finds its way into our conversations when we’re describing food, a certain person’s personality, or some event or circumstance we’re really happy about. “Sweet!” Most of us would benefit from becoming a bit “sweeter.” Sweetening your personality will do you good, and be a […]
Monday, August 1, 2016
If you’re a parent, you’ve likely have had a conversation or a thousand with your children about listening and obeying. From early on, a major part of training kids involves teaching them to pay attention to the instructions and commands you give them for their good, and to follow them! Guess what? God has the […]
Friday, July 22, 2016
One of the things I love about living in the Washington, DC area is the beauty of the four seasons. We get them all—Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer. Each has it’s own enchantment and attraction. And if you get tired of one, just wait a bit and eventually a new season will arrive. Success in […]
Monday, July 18, 2016
Growth brings change. I was recently looking at a picture of my grandchildren, taken a little over a year ago, and was shocked and a bit shaken by how much they had changed. In about 13 months they grew significantly, and their growth changed their appearance, and more. Their conversations are different now. The way […]
Thursday, July 14, 2016
This is baseball season. I’m not sure if you’re a fan or have a favorite team, or even follow the sport at all, but there’s a lesson I learned recently from some baseball stats that might encourage you. It’s about what it take to move from being an average batter to a superstar hitter. The […]
Friday, July 8, 2016
Your spirit matters! It’s far more important that you might imagine. Your “spirit” is the spiritual and emotional atmosphere inside you that you carry into the world around you. It’s your inner world, but it also affects your outer world. Your spirit is what you are inside. It’s your attitudes, your ways of thinking, your […]
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Delaying gratification is something most people don’t like to do. When we want something, we want it now. We like things fast — fast food, fast friends, fast fixes, fast fulfillment — FAST, FAST, FAST, FAST! When it comes to our wants, life is usually more slow than fast. The journey through life includes delays, […]
Friday, June 17, 2016
What’s in you determines your future! Who you are drives what you do! This principle is found all through the pages of the Bible. It’s very clearly seen in the story of Moses and the twelve spies of the Promised Land. The ten men Moses had sent to explore the land—the ones who incited rebellion […]
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
… As for you, you will drop dead in this wilderness. And your children will be like shepherds, wandering in the wilderness for forty years. In this way, they will pay for your faithlessness, until the last of you lies dead in the wilderness. – Numbers 14:31-33 (NLT) The backstory of this passage is the failure […]
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
It’s often been said that we’re our own worst enemy! It’s true. Far too often we do things that sabotage our own progress, health and happiness. We’re all prone to self-destructive attitudes and behaviors. Sometimes the things that hurt us are not so obvious to us. In fact, many seemingly innocent thoughts and actions have […]
Friday, May 27, 2016
There’s a wise piece of advice given to grocery shoppers — “Never go to the grocery store when you’re hungry!” Hungry people make bad choices! The same is true in the spiritual, emotional and physical realms of your life. If you’re not filled with the right things, you’ll fill up with the wrong things! Take a […]
Thursday, May 5, 2016
What’s the common theme in the following Bible passages? 2 Chronicles 6:37-39 (NIV) And if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity and say, “We have sinned, we have done wrong and acted wickedly”; and if they […]
Monday, May 2, 2016
This past week I had the honor of traveling to both Barcelona and Málaga, Spain to conduct pastors’ training sessions. Other than pastoring our church, there’s no work that’s more fulfilling to me than helping pastors! Spending time investing in church leaders who are giving their lives serving, teaching, and encouraging others is rewarding. Sometimes […]
Sunday, April 24, 2016
“It’s not supposed to be this way!” These are the words of a newly wed describing disappointment in the first years of marriage. When pressed for specifics, some deep misconceptions came to light. This individual had entered into the bonds of holy matrimony with blissful, romantic expectations of a “happily ever after” life. They didn’t […]
Friday, April 22, 2016
One of the toughest things to handle is rejection. When people are asked about their biggest fears, rejection ranks near the top. No one likes to be turn away or turned down. We long to be accepted and appreciated by people. Sadly, but realistically, rejection is part of life. It’s something that happens to us […]