Trusting God is a struggle. In both letters to Timothy, Paul called it a "fight" to maintain a vibrant faith over a lifetime. One reason that struggle exists lies in the pressing problems and daily distractions dominating the "windshield" of my mind, crowding out the truth that

The "good" of Good Friday? * “For the word of THE CROSS is folly to those who are perishing, but TO US who are being saved it IS THE POWER OF GOD." ~ 1 Corinthians 1:18 * “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, THAT HE MIGHT BRING US TO

He loves me with all He is, so I might love Him with all I am. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." ~ Romans 5:8 "Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul,

Have you encountered and surrendered to Jesus since His resurrection? If so, you are more than an observer of Easter-you are a full participant in the Easter story! Paul includes his story of radical transformation often overlooked at Easter in the list of post-resurrection

Who do I love above all others? That is the final predictor of whether I will pass through the ups and downs of my life in joy... or in sorrow… “Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god." ~ Psalm 16:4 #WhoYouLove #WhatYouLove #ChooseWell

Reorganizations and rhetoric cannot restore the presence of God to a church (or an individual). Becoming aware of His kingly and majestic presence is an elective journey of the heart (a choice) and a gift that He bestows. Life is never the same after that. Every other

“…success in continuing the Christian life, like success in beginning it, does not depend upon the mastery of some complex doctrinal system or upon the achievement of some esoteric additional experience but upon a relationship with a Person." ~ Robertson McQuilken (1927-2016)

when you forget Him - He is pursuing you when you wander off - He is pursuing you when you mess up your life - He is pursuing you ALL the days... EVERY day. Psalm 23:6 in several versions... NKJV "Surely goodness and mercy shall FOLLOW me ALL the days of my life; and I will

Before his retirement, Tim Keller was the founding pastor of Redeemer Church in New York City. During an interview four months before his death, he was asked about the ups and downs of battling pancreatic cancer following his diagnosis in 2020. He makes reference to Psalm 90:14

Praying for His shepherds as they stand and speak before His people today... if you get to witness one of these dear ones at work, you are seeing & hearing a weekly miracle! "For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus'

"Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ." ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:5 a prayer that He will guide my heart to two destinations... the love of God, and the patience of Christ personal experiences with Him that become observable

Have you ever felt utterly alone, with no one to turn to? Perhaps like David at Ziklag — whose fighting men returned to find their families carried off by a ruthless enemy — you feel as though everyone you know has abandoned you. Notice how David responds below... and what he

Most church revitalization efforts fail as we repeatedly apply organizational solutions to what is primarily a relational problem. When we get the diagnosis right, the way forward will be clear... "...I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against

"Where anxiety begins, faith ends; And where faith begins, anxiety ends." ~ George Mueller (1805-1898), from Bristol, England, who trusted God to provide and care for 10,024 orphans during his lifetime. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore

Has God ever led you to a place with "no water" to "drink" and you wondered why? Are you in that place now? Physical thirst, like any other deeply-felt need, is a fresh opportunity to trust Him. But soul thirst is a highway into His presence, and to a level of satisfaction

"Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart..." ~ Luke 18:1 "to lose heart": a reference to giving up. * to lose one's motivation * to give up on a desirable pattern of conduct or activity, * to lose enthusiasm, * to be discouraged. So

He has a way forward for every church, a mission that involves setting captives free and defeating the enemies of the human soul. A church can do more than merely "survive." He has said that when He is doing the "building" of His church, nothing can stop the forward movement of

Every Christian's purpose in life is simply to fulfill his Father's purpose... one step at a time. This is no hardened mystery to uncover, but is a byproduct of the love relationship He has with each of us... made possible through the "children's door" into His throne

The great mistake we make is to look around us at a broken world and assume this is what God intended for us to experience. It is not. It is a fallen world, deeply corrupted away from what He made. The tears and pain and suffering and injustice and confusion were not His