I’ve had bad things happen in my life. Sometimes the loss and suffering is not of my own doing (though I certainly have escaped what was rightfully due me many times, by God’s grace). Who hasn’t suffered in a world that is brutal...
The political party I normally vote for lost power in the last election. The policies of the current party are largely (IMHO) disastrous. So, I feel some days like “why do I even pay my taxes?” Ever say that yourself? Maybe you said it...
I have a philosophy of life that goes kind of like this: Because I believe in God, His second plans can seem like the first. What I mean is this: God has a perfect will for my life. I may mess it up. Certainly others will too. Have your dreams been...
I read in Harvard Business Review that only a few months ago “Covid-19 has ravaged employment in the United States, from temporary furloughs to outright layoffs. Currently, over 4 million Americans have been out of work for six months or more...
I have a lot of friends. I love them all, but I wouldn’t trade my sons for any one of them! Some stories in the Bible are so stunning, confusing, yet powerful that you can’t read them and not marvel at God’s amazing redemptive plan...
I have a framed picture in my office of a huge wave slamming into a lighthouse. Its astonishing. I always wondered how they built the lighthouse. Most likely during calm days. But, upon closer inspection, you can see that a man is standing there...
Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name.Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.And do...
The older I get the more sympathetic I become to the fragile nature of our emotional and mental health. Certainly there are factors of chemistry that affect us significantly. The struggles people face or their families members are pronounced in this...
Have you discovered that when someone says, “I have a quick question”- the answer is going to be pretty long? It seems the most difficult questions start with “why”? Most of us know the story of the Tower of Babel. Mankind...
I am fascinated with the creation account recorded in Genesis because its largely told from God’s perspective as He communicated it to Moses on Mount Sinai. Where else can you get insight into the heart of God in the old testament? Of course...
I have a funny saying I share with people who are the boss at their business or are upset with the boss… “Its good to be the king”. In other words, when you are the boss, you get to make king-like decisions (someone has to, right?)...
I have always had a sense that there is a creator and that there is purpose and meaning in life. Even before I understood the story of Jesus, the Jews, and the only living God- the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that sense of something and someone...
There is a good or holy pride and a bad pride too, right? Do you know the difference? There is the overweening self-absorbed narcissism that demands attention for itself. That’s ugly, bad and destructive. But, there is the other sense of...
I feel like I am in a pretty good season of life right now. Then again, I tend to enjoy every season of life. In the midst of season where many may feel uncertain, languishing, weak and fading, needy and destitute, I pray God’s best for them...
Happy Thanksgiving! What are your plans and traditions? One year, I remember spending Thanksgiving in Utah skiing. When dinner time came around, me and couple friends ate at a restaurant. Not what I have come to really appreciate. So, today- like...
I smile when I hear the cartoon characters Pinky and the Brain talk. Pinky: “What do you want to do tonight?…” Brain: “Try to take over the world!”. God has a plan to take over the world. (more accurately, redeem it)...
Who? The ungodly. The world is, and has always been, cruel and dark. Terrible people do terrible things. A man just drove a car at high speed into a parade and killed children. God will one day judge and pour out His wrath on an unbelieving and...
Who hasn’t wonder what happens next? I mean, after this life is over,… what happens next. Is there a life beyond this one? Yes, there really is and the authority of the Universe said so (Jesus). “I am going to prepare a place for...
Are you a soul with a body? Or a body with a soul? Isn’t that the same question? How we see ourselves impacts our expectations of ourselves. I have done some dishonorable things in my life. How about you? I believe the closer I am to God, the...
In my speed, busyness, and rush to do all I can in this life, I can be a bit too short, callous, and lacking attentiveness with people. Do you ever get that way? Do you say in your mind “not now, later” to someone needing help, a...
King Solomon wrote “a good name is better than fine perfume”. I agree. I love it when churches are filled with people living out their faith day by day. Over time, the news of their faith in God spreads and God receives the glory. Could...
Our world, the workplace, friendships and even within families there can be tension, anger, strife and bitter disagreement. The goal of the Christian life is to be like Jesus in word, thought and deed. How do we find harmony today? The answer is to...
There isn’t really a course called Vampire Slaying 101. But, we all need to know the basics to kill the monster called the fleshly nature. When a vampire has a stake in its heart, it becomes immovable and lays dormant, even though it is still...
Capture the flag was a game I loved to play in grade school. I was pretty fast and could often get to the “flag”, which was usually a chalkboard eraser on the grass field. Once in hand, I would have to return to my team’s side...
God works in mysterious ways. That’s for sure. But not completely. Have you ever had a young child ask you “why” only to discover you didn’t have an answer? Oh, I have. There are many unanswered questions in this life. Live...
Christmas is still a few months away. But, as it approaches- we will be thinking about the baby in the manger and more profoundly how God came near to mankind. The creator entered His own creation. We call this the incarnation, (Deity taking on...
In Jesus model prayer, He prays that ‘God’s kingdom come, His will be done’. Many grew up memorizing this prayer. But how does that happen? It happens when we discover that we (His followers) are the embodiment of God’s...
Which blade does the cutting? I am saved. Are you? Are you sure? I am sure! I am nothing like I once was. Nearly all my thinking, emotions, desires, ambitions, ability to love God and others, has changed. I am saved from my former life of sin and...
Ever meet someone for the first time and all they want to do is read you their resume, impress you, or compete in some way? Not very attractive. Isn’t it refreshing when people are others-centered instead of self-centered? I certainly need...
I laugh at the television commercial where a person gets a tattoo with the phrase “No Regrets” misspelled. The consequences of some mistakes last longer than others. Failure to receive God’s love and grace will separate people from...
I grew up with two brothers. We played a lot and fought a fair amount with each other too. When we played sports, we played to win! I am not so sure Christians are playing to win anymore. What is the point of playing anything if you don’t play...
I get mad about injustice. Sometimes I see situations where I want to scream at the TV. How about you? Recently, an outspoken Marine who earned the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, criticized his superiors (Yes, that is forbidden), because of their...
I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s...
God is about the business of transforming followers of Jesus (His only begotten Son) into His likeness. Jesus is our model in all things. He is both our source and goal. The Christian life is about becoming more and more like Jesus in word, thought...
No one is perfect. We all know that. But, personal integrity still matters. Who we are and who we say we are should be consistent. Our words, thoughts and deeds when all aligned add a strength to our life. And as we try to lead others in endeavors...
I can sometimes see trouble on the horizon. Sometimes I can’t. When I do, I start making excuses in my head for the problems I cause. I wonder if anyone else does the same. What I should do is present my problems and dilemmas to God and get...
I feel like my life has God-honoring purpose. Not because I am special or different from anyone else, but because I have said Yes to Jesus and tried to be obedient to becoming who He wants me to be and to do that which He calls me to do. That feels...
I have a great curiosity about God, the meaning of life, and spiritual things. I think most people would like to have an experience with God or see a miracle to help build up their faith. God is invisible to us, so seeing something beyond our world...
I have done the right thing the wrong way. I have also simply done the wrong thing. And everyone once in a while I do things God’s way! His ways are higher than ours. He has full knowledge. That’s why praying before acting is so...
I love when I get packages delivered to my house and a little text notification tells me to check the front porch. It seems like I get a lot these days! There is a delivery that exceeds all of those. I think God has used my simple life to be a...
I have a love for God because I have received His great mercy. I have a fear of Him as well because He is holy and righteous. Its a strange tension to manage. I think the fear is that I will one day see Him face to face and be a disappointment (at...
I like reading and studying history, especially Biblical history. Failure to understand history, they say, dooms us to repeat the mistakes of the past. I think that’s fairly accurate. Today, there is a crazy attempt to erase history or rewrite...
People often ask me, how you doin’? My reply, ‘I am doing good’. (I know, the proper word is ‘well’ – I am from Norco). If they were to ask me ‘what are you doin’? Same thing- ‘I am doing...
Christians screw up! Yes, even I do. Shocking to find out, I know! As a pastor, I will go to my grave with the secret confessions of many others. Hurting and wounded, imperfect, yet redeemed people make mistakes and even willfully sin. When they do...
My friend Mike Foster was taught a song when he was a child. It goes something like this: The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here. The way to be happy, is to make someone happy and bring a little heaven down here. Cute! The...
Individual liberty is very important to me. Not just the concept, but the spiritual reality for Christians as well as how we live in our country, the United States of America. One danger for believers who discover we are no longer bound by the...
Before I because a Christian,… what I misunderstood about Christianity was that I thought it was a lifestyle centered around keeping a set of rules. Some of the Christians I met, didn’t help. They would tell me, “you know God hates...
I heard the wonderful pastor Greg Laurie say “Christians are not better than other people, we are however, better off”. I feel that way. I am not trying to compare myself to others in some sort of ‘goodness’ contest, because...
Many who know me personally recognize I have a passion for public life and strong opinions about politics. I tend to be conservative in a number of my viewpoints. When I first heard about Juneteenth as a Federal holiday, I was confused. But, then...
I don’t pay much attention to fashion. If I had it my way, I would still be wearing what I wore in the 1970’s- blue jeans, white tee shirt, leather belt (with Aerosmith on it), and wallabee shoes. I know others take pride in looking...