Last week, I got to have lunch with my God-daughter. We both had reason to be in San Francisco and arranged for a fun lunch at the Ferry Building. As we were driving over there, she reminded her grandmother and I that she had to take a conference...

As I have been recently teaching through the book of Ephesians, I have noticed how important the subject of unity is to the apostle Paul. In point of fact, the entire focus of this epistle is Paul’s deep desire that the Jews and Gentiles be united...

I love trees. It is one of the reasons I love to travel so much. There are trees everywhere…tall trees, leafy trees, huge shade trees, and trees that can hold big tire swings! So last summer, I took a trip up the heart of our state to visit some...

Stacy Creech, a missionary in Senegal wrote about “Goats and Goodbyes” in a recent  Ethnos360 newsletter. Apparently, there was a move in her future and it was causing some anxiety in her heart. Change can do that. She wrote, “I was standing...

Earlier this month, Christianity Today reported on the “Top 50 Countries Where it is Hardest to be a Christian.” Apparently, martyrdoms are dropping in number in Nigeria but soaring in Burkina Faso. North Korea tops the list, with Afghanistan and...

I read a story this week that reflected on some early missionary efforts in the Africa bush. Apparently, some of the young converts were very earnest and regular in their personal devotional life. “Each one reportedly had a separate spot in the...

In Acts chapter 20, Luke records for us some words of farewell that Paul gave to the elders of the church in Ephesus. In a whole list of things, he urged them to remember, he remarks in verse 28, “Keep watch over yourselves and the flock of which...

I recently read about some missionaries in Eastern Europe who are employing a creative method to start conversations about the gospel. Using social media, they have posted a single question referenced in the story about blind Bartimaeus in the book...

Right around the new year, most of us start to think about resolutions, personal organization, self-discipline issues and the like. In that context, I got to thinking about how many more years, days or hours I have left here on earth. That kind of...

One of my favorite things to do with the children in our school is to go from class to class with cans of whipped cream in my hand. I make sure none of them are allergic or anything and then I fill their mouths with that creamy sweet treat! We...

In order to clarify God’s plan for his life, Gideon asked for a sign from the Lord. (You may remember that he used some rotating wet and dry carpets.) Well, the Christmas story has some “sign seekers” too. One group was the “wisemen” who followed...

The pastor and author, Warren Wiersbe has remarked that “The trouble with too many of us is that we think God called us to be manufacturers when He really called us to be distributors.” He was making the point that all too often we begin to think...