“. . . that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Col 1:9-10 [12] Jesus was a master of parables to teach deep lessons on the Kingdom of God. Using analogies, or metaphors, is a powerful, memorable way to download an entire life-lesson into the heart of … Read More
“Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands.” Acts 12:7 [11] I confess that the past several months have put me at a loss for what to write. As we watched the startling election events, the stoking fires of division, and the suppression of our Civil rights, dozens of commentaries … Read More
[10] So much turmoil. So much strife. So much fear. So much anger. So much division. Lies, accusations, hypocrisy, injustice, insecurity, violence, corruption, abuse, sickness, addiction, poverty, loss… Overturning, overturning, overturning… Uncertainty dominates our culture and swallows up our thoughts. It casts darkness over our future, and dismantles our peace. There is no agreement between even two people on every subject, and no clear pathway through the social, cultural, and personal minefields that we all find ourselves dropped into. We … Read More
“The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.” Mark 4:26-27 [9] About 25 years ago, we noticed something growing next to the house in front. I realized it was a little tree and almost cut it down, but we were sort of curious. We thought, “Let’s see what kind it is.” … Read More
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” I Thes 5:11 (NIV) [8] We always hear the cliché “A diamond in the rough.” The bad thing about clichés is that they can lose their full meaning by the time they become clichés, because if we connect with the original idea, it can help us look at people in a new way. I was in a Starbucks a few years ago meeting with … Read More
“Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go near and overtake this chariot.’ So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.” Acts 8:29-31 [7] Often we don’t need to seek out people to witness to. Most of us encounter opportunities when we are not even looking for … Read More
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:11 [6] I’ve shared before that God called me into the ministry of evangelism. He made it evident particularly on my mission trip to Russia when I could feel His Holy Spirit inspiring me as I talked with people. He gave me … Read More
“There is no other God but one. For even if there are so-called gods . . . for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.” 1 Cor 4-6 [5] How do we share Jesus with someone who believes that any version of god will do? They might be a family member, or friend, or coworker. If … Read More
“In meekness [instruct] those that oppose themselves; God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth [that] they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” 2Tim 2:25-26 (KJV) [4] I was street-witnessing with Frank and the guys on Friday and I crossed paths with a quiet young man. I offered him a tract and he smiled and took it. Then I said something like, … Read More
“Then the LORD answered me and said: Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.” Hab 2:2 “They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent,” Isaiah 62:6b [3] I’m a little behind on my posts because last week I went to the ACFW (Association of Christian Fiction Writers) conference in Nashville. I like to travel alone at times like … Read More
