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 [...]
Sometimes the hardest thing God asks us to surrender is something we once would have gladly left behind. In 2010, I read Tramp for the Lord by Corrie ten Boom. One account stayed with me: a single missionary who left her home and possessions to serve in China. Her greatest fear was becoming a grain [...]
“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 [...]
Discomfort and reward often go together. I experience this every time I write. A blank page sits in front of me, and I have to fill it. Behind every word is a quiet prayer that somehow I will have something worthwhile to say. Sometimes the process feels hard. Sometimes I wonder where the words will [...]
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 [...]
Years ago I hiked a popular mountain in North Georgia. As I huffed and puffed my way along the sun soaked, leaf covered trail, sticks and leaves crunched beneath my feet. Somewhere along the way, my thoughts turned toward children. Children are curious about everything. If a child had been hiking with me that day, [...]
Sometimes the most unexpected moments turn into the most meaningful ones. Like sitting in a drive-thru line, waiting on something simple, and deciding to ask a question that cuts a little deeper. “If there was one thing you could do with your life, what would it be?” The young man at the window paused. You [...]
I’ll be honest. Prayer doesn’t come easy for me. It’s not that I don’t know I should pray. It’s that, deep down, I don’t always believe it works the way God says it does. Because if I truly believed prayer made a real difference, I wouldn’t treat it like an afterthought. I’d bring everything to [...]
As a father of six children, I’ve dealt with more than a few cuts and bruises–and the most dreaded of all–splinters. Before a splinter was pulled, the fear of pain was almost always greater than the pain itself. For this reason, each of my children resisted attempts for healing. This reminds me of our spiritual [...]
In 1519, Hernán Cortés landed on the vast inland of Mexico along with 600 Spaniards, approximately 16 horses, and 11 boats. The Spanish conquistador and his men were about to embark on a conquest of an empire that hoarded some of the world’s greatest treasure. This daring undertaking seemed insurmountable because for more than 600 [...]
