There are real dangers in life. Sometimes we create our own by living foolishly or taking unwise risks or ‘thrill-seeking’. Then there are dangers that arise because we choose to follow God and express our faith. What can result is...
Recently Elon Musk bought a lot of Twitter stock. I wonder what he is up to? I love that in America we can say just about anything, anywhere. I can say something right, wrong, agreeable or disagreeable and most will defend my right to say it. And...
Sometimes I have bought a movie ticket and fallen asleep during the movie. Has that ever happened to you? I figure, “hey, I bought the ticket, I can watch or not watch”! I have the opportunity to teach and preach nearly every week. I am...
I remember in college hearing for the first time the term ‘herd poisoning’. The big idea was that as people we tend to not think very well for themselves when in big crowds. We do things that we otherwise wouldn’t do or approve. I...
One of my goals in life is to be ‘proficient in the Scriptures’. I had the opportunity to have some University education in the Bible. I will always be grateful for particular professors at Hope International University like Dr. Joe...
I didn’t have the advantage of growing up in church. Although my childhood was pretty dog gone great, that’s one advantage I lacked. I was curious about life, purpose, meaning, eternity, God, and the like, but there were plenty of other...
Our Constitutional rights matter. They are valuable to each individual. I just read that some people were awarded over $10,000,000 for the mistreatment by law enforcement officers while protesting. I am super sympathetic to the difficulty of the...
I recently returned from a mission trip with some pretty amazing people. We were meeting practical needs of people of the Texas-Mexico border and encouraging the ministry partners there. God did miracles and our faith was strengthened (see more at...
If following Jesus easy or hard? Yes! Its both. Most of us know that Jesus said “narrow is the way that leads to life, few there are that find it. And broad is the way that leads to destruction, many there are that go that way”. I have...
No one likes to be misjudged or persecuted. But, life brings disagreements between even those who were once likeminded. People see life from different perspectives or through different lenses. We hold values and priorities that can be contrary to...
Love doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rather rejoices in the truth. People sometimes rejoice over the wrong things. I hope I am not in that crowd. As the early church experienced persecution by the Roman government and particularly...
Are you a Christian? I’ve been asked that many times. And the answer is of course, yes. I am a Christian and a Christian pastor. I have noticed at certain times, people have been embarrassed to call themselves Christians (maybe because the...
I don’t like to change my mind. Having once formed an opinion, I prefer to stick with it even more than receiving new information that might challenge my sincerely held beliefs. But, thank God- I am not so rigid to remain completely unwilling...
Back in the 1990s people would stop in shopping malls and stare at large posters with patterns on them. Some would stare for half an hour or more and then exclaim “Now I see it”! These posters were computer generated Stereographs. Inside...
I was born with an inward desire to know my Maker and worship Him. I believe that ‘instinct’ is within us all. I wasn’t born with the knowledge of the gospel and that the Maker of Heaven and earth is the God of Abraham, Isaac and...
And so they killed Stephen! That’s how Dr. Luke concludes the seventh chapter of the book he wrote called The Acts of the Apostles. I don’t always respond positively to the criticism of others. Do you? I think my natural tendency is to...
My philosophy and understanding of God used to be very simplistic and superstitious. I didn’t really understand His will and His ways. I thought ‘everything always works out fine’, so long as you are following Him. That just...
Have you heard the saying: “No good deed, goes unpunished”? Its a funny saying that is often true. Sometimes in life we are following the will of God, or doing something really good, but not everyone is pleased. Some are threatened, some...
Starting at the age of twelve, I had a curiosity about spiritual things. I didn’t know much about Christian history or the history of the world in general. I thought it was kind of altruistic to simply think and espouse that ‘all roads...
People are fickle. We change our minds quickly and are easily swayed by fake news and other people’s opinions. We need grounding in truth and God’s Word. On the other hand, we are also stubborn. Having once arrived at an opinion, its...
I remember sharing a summary of my job description with an assistant once. I said, “my job is to make promises and fulfill them”. Your job is to help me do it. Promises are important= they forecast a desired future. While I can’t...
I was thinking today that sometimes I feel very lucky. My friend Bogar actually calls me “Lucky”! How nice that feels. Whenever I consider my lovely wife, I certainly think I am lucky- and so very fortunate! What makes me feel truly...
I like receiving praise, respect, greetings and recognition. Who doesn’t? That desire can be a trap when I find myself ‘putting on a show’ of external righteousness instead of being genuine and real. Nobody is perfect and when we...
Almost 35 years ago my wife and I had a big wedding! Ours wasn’t limited by space or even money. We had about 500 guests because my wife has a large family and lots of friends, cousins, aunties, etc. It was certainly by today’s standards...
There is no shortage of bad advice. Ask someone going through a separation or divorce. Talk to a parent with a rebellious teen. I have received my fair share and dished out a bit as well. How can we know the advice we are receiving is worthwhile...
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...