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...
Oh that sneaky desire to be justified before God by keeping the law. It creeps into my mind, I begin to weigh my value by my goodness, and I compare myself to others, instead of Christ. This is a bewitching temptation Christians face, because deep...
I made a bold statement yesterday from the pulpit. It went something like this. You and I, as Christians, are saved by God’s grace and not by anything good we have done. And because we are saved by grace, THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO TO MAINTAIN...
Tomorrow I will be preaching a message called “Let Freedom Ring” from Galatians 5:1. Its a tribute to our country and at the same time a reminder of the citizenship we hold in heaven and the blessings of freedom found in Christ. At the...
God did something very special in the seven years my wife and I moved to northern California to be part of a new church plant. We met so many amazing people who are still friend (though remote) today. But, that ended and we moved back to southern...
I can live with certain degrees of ambiguity around my life. I don’t need the answers to everything that doesn’t concern me. But, sometimes a sit down with people, eye to eye, face to face (no masks, lol), and direct conversation brings...
My spiritual life is a collection of some powerful forces working within me. God’s wonderful grace (unmerited favor) has been bestowed on me by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. His mercy allows me access to God, the Father in spite of my...
My son had a problem with his car last Thursday. He had driven about a mile away from the house, called me, malfunctions all over- apparently the alternator was not recharging the battery and as a result of intermittent electrical power all the...
I have been mistaken, fooled and even deceived at times. For the most part, I think I have grown in discernment and the ability to ascertain what is true. I certainly value walking in the truth. I marvel at how we as people can be so quick to...
I love my wife, my kids, and especially my grandkids. And they love me! I also love tacos and pizza (but that’s another kind of love). From where do I get the ability to love? The Bible says that God’s nature is love and we received our...
I have to work at keeping my heart soft and open to the needs of others. My tendency is to get caught up in what I am doing, my goals, earthly aspirations and accumulations. In doing so, I might not allow my heart to be moved to the point of action...
I enjoy the superhero movies. I love the good vs. evil motif. You might be a Marvel fan or maybe DC is your clan! Do you have a favorite particular superhero? Jesus is far more than all superheroes combined. He actually came into the world to...
I see things differently than I did when I did not know God in such a personal way. Ironically, people see me differently too, as they should. Have you ever felt like you didn’t fit in? Sometimes the self-serving, callous and cruel, mean and...
I don’t keep every promise I make. I am aware of two outstanding promises right now that remain unfulfilled. In life we make big and small promises. Some are of little importance, others of enormous importance. Jesus made the most amazing...
Love fades. It needs to be fanned to a flame occasionally. The love of God poured out upon the Jewish people had faded in their hearts and their devotion to Him faded with it. So the old command ‘love God with all your heart, soul, mind and...
Knowing God and exchanging love is what life is all about! I am tempted to write more, but would rather just think about that profound idea. I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake. I am...
We don’t use the word sin much these days. For whatever reason, it seems more comfortable avoiding that word. And we’ve all become pretty good at justifying and excusing wrong behavior, attitudes and thoughts. The problem is that we are...
I love sharing good news. When my children were born, I couldn’t wait to tell everyone I knew, even strangers. I wanted to in some small way impart the joy I was experiencing with them. Right now, my newest grandson was recently born and my...
Final words are important. There was the man in the hospital who whispered to his friend in a dying gasp words so faint, they could barely be heard. When he finally mustered enough energy- his friend leaned close to hear the all important words...
I have patterns that have formed in my life. I guess you could call them habits. One is the particular morning routine I follow (floss, brush, shave, shower, etc.) another is the spiritual discipline of prayer, Bible reading, and journaling. Some of...
There are things in life that I purposely delay in doing, addressing or completing. They are simply not a priority. However, when I was young, God became a super high priority. While I didn’t have the advantage of growing up in church, I did...
I am willing to take risks. I am not fool-hearted, but neither am I stuck in analysis paralysis nor unwilling to move forward because I might fail. I have failed at many endeavors, but learned so much. Some will have many regrets- I hope to have...
Confession time: I don’t tell my wife everything! We do talk about plenty. Sometimes laying there in bed, we all have pillow talk, right? You review the day, talk about kids, grandkids, especially grandkids! Then you swerve into work, people...
The wisdom of the top dog is sometimes considered more valuable than someone of lower position, regardless of the merit. This is life. I love the phrase- “its amazing what can be accomplished when we don’t care who gets the credit”...
Why doesn’t everything in life go ‘as planned’ or ‘as it should be’? How come smart people are not always rich? How came fast people don’t win every race? Why do the strong lose important battles? Is it really...
why question in vintage letterpress wood type stained by color inks I am with people who suffer tragedies. Some are of epic proportions like the unexplained loss of a child at birth or an unexpected accident that takes the life of a godly person...
Who struggles with authority? I do. It’s part of our rebellious human nature. But, when you are a follower of Christ, we have agreed to submit to the ultimate authority, God, who is the lover of our soul. Last Wednesday, my son Keanu taught...
Who hasn’t done foolish things in life? I have done many. I have put together a string of hours without sinning in word, thought and deed, only to be followed by stumbling and sin. Ughhh! I hate that. Ever talk behind someone’s back? Me...
I have thought about life as a pastor and my role as a co-laborer with Christ in building the kingdom of God. His kingdom in invisible, though it has representations that you can see and touch. When I talk with younger pastors, I tell them- if you...
It feels really good when we work and receive a reward. Maybe its a side project that we do and unexpected income comes our way. They we go and buy a tri-tip steak and have a BBQ with the family. That’s really nice. Solomon saw and pointed out...
Everybody prays. I pray throughout the day. I wonder if I seem at times, to God, like a babbling fool who says too much. He can communicate with me by giving me thoughts in my mind, beyond my own. He can impart dreams that illustrate His will in...
I give a fair amount of time to the consideration of my spiritual legacy. I want my children to know and serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the true and living God. And I want my sweetheart grandchildren to have that advantage too...
A Bangladeshi Child break bricks at Postogola brick breaking yard in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on June 3, 2017. With over half of the population living below the poverty line, women and children are often forced into hard manual labour such as brick...
When I look back on my life, I can almost define certain time frames by what was occurring in me and around me. They were seasons that came and then changed. The were definitive. There was the season of childhood. Oh, thank God (and my parents) for...
I love to work, help people, and especially to build things of value that will endure over time. Isn’t it neat to see something created that will outlast you? Solomon pondered that idea and found a problem. He realized that all he had built in...
There are earthly rewards for our labor that do not satisfy beyond a short period of time. This is true of most things I do “for myself”. Most of us spend a fair amount of time, as Solomon did, seeking out our own pleasures, hobbies...
I tend to be prone to orderliness and perfectionism. Just look at my nightstand compared to my lovely wife’s. I think having four kids forced me to become content with dirty dishes, dress shirts not perfectly ironed, and a car with french...
Surprising to some, my favorite book of the Bible is Ecclesiastes (my second is the gospel of John). Why? Solomon poses life’s biggest questions and leaves them somewhat unresolved. John, the beloved apostle, reveals that all of life’s...
Today, I finish the month-long exercise of reading the Proverbs of Solomon, Agur and Lemuel. The capstone is a tribute to godly women and the importance within the family and especially in their role as wives and mothers. My wife is certainly worthy...
Yesterday was Mother’s Day. Naturally, I am a grateful for my mom and I was happy to think about her and thank God for her. Today, I woke up grateful to God for my wife and the person she is. She is a gift from God. Though she doubts it, she...
Have you noticed that people of great wealth often have great problems? Sadly, Bill Gates, the tech icon is parting ways with his wife Melinda. I feel bad for them and wish the best in healing from the hurt. A year or so ago, the same for Jeff Bezos...