What if the people we influence learn how to behave, but never learn how to come to Jesus? What if they remember our advice, admire our values, and follow our example, yet never meet the Savior we claim to represent? That possibility breaks my heart. It also makes me examine my own. I recently heard [...]
New research from the Barna Group reveals that three-quarters of U.S. adults (75 percent) say they are looking for ways to live a more meaningful life. Among Christians, there is an additional question: “What does God want me to do with my life?” According to the Barna study, only 40 percent of practicing Christians say [...]
My friend Rick’s life changed on the drive home from a West Virginia ski trip. His ten-year-old daughter, Emily, had broken her leg. She rested in the back of their SUV with her mother, Joni, and little brother, Gabriel. Thirty minutes from home, Rick was imagining his children attending Christian camp someday. That is his [...]
This summer, my wife Hannah and I will celebrate our wedding anniversary. Fifteen years has taught me something important: you can love someone deeply and still slowly drift apart. It rarely happens all at once. It happens in little ways. A busy week turns into a busy month. One evening you are too tired to [...]
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” —John 3:16 It is possible to sing about trusting God while quietly holding your breath over tomorrow. We know He is faithful. We have heard the testimonies, read the [...]
Psalm 84:10 says, “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” When I first read that verse, I understood it to mean that I would rather do something small for God, like [...]
For many people, work is simply something they have to get through. Monday comes. The workweek begins. They count the hours until Friday and dream about retirement. But God designed work to be more than a way to pay the bills. Colossians 3:23 tells us, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the [...]
On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito of Japan officially surrendered. World War II had finally come to an end and people around the globe celebrated a return to more peaceful times. However, on a small island in the Philippines, four Japanese soldiers continued to fight. They spent their days hiding in the mountains and conducting [...]
The word fulfillment literally means “to fill up.” If you are fulfilled, you are filled full. The real question is how do you define fulfillment? What makes you full? There are many sources that can fill us up: food, relationships, possessions, accomplishments, experiences, and a few other personal favorites I’m sure you could add to [...]
Yesterday I took a “selfie.” It wasn’t flattering. In fact, it was downright ugly, and I wish I could have deleted it. I’m not talking about a picture taken with my phone. The “selfie” I’m talking about was self pity. I’m usually an optimistic person, but something happened yesterday that completely threw me off. Before [...]
