Sin divides.  The sin of racism divides people of different ethnicities.  The sin of selfishness divides spouses, sometimes even leading to divorce.  The sin of resentment can separate a grown child from his parents. The sin of pride can separate someone from every relationship in his life. Often we can overcome these divisions by building a relational bridge.  Christians are called to be Ch...  Read More

     John Maxwell once said, “everything rises or falls on leadership” (Leadershift, 12).  I think you can see this truth whether you are working in a business, church, non-profit, union or school.  But what are some keys to compelling leadership?  How can we lead effectively, whatever our role?     Follow first.  The best leaders are followers first.  They learn to lead by picking good leaders to...  Read More

      Over the years I have done many individual spiritual plans with people.  One of my questions in this process is to mention the fruit of the Holy Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22,23).   I then ask if there is one of these fruits that is really flourishing in their life and which one is missing or struggling?  The...  Read More

      As Christmas fades into memory and the new year is upon us let us talk about one of the great gifts that Jesus put under our Christmas trees—transformation.  Unfortunately, this particular gift comes with a label, that as a father of five children, I hate to see on any gift—"some assembly required.”  Jesus saves us not only from something (eternal separation from God) but to something, a new...  Read More

      Years ago when we lived in Indianapolis, Indiana, I was called by a funeral home to perform the eulogy for a person I had never met. I connected with the family and then performed the funeral.  During the funeral, one of the family members skipped the service, went to the home of the deceased, changed the locks on the house, and began taking items they wanted from the home.  Greed, it’s ugly...  Read More

     In 1 Kings 2, King David is on his death bed having a conversation with his son Solomon, who will succeed him as the king of Israel.  David tells Solomon to kill a man named Shimei after He is gone.  Wow!  David orders a murder right before his death.  The backstory is that years before, there was a civil war in Israel.  Absalom, David’s son, led a revolt against him causing David to flee the...  Read More

     Who is the difficult person in your family? At work? Picture them.  Maybe they are a constant critic, or very controlling.  Christians are called to be peacemakers, even ministers of reconciliation; how do we do this with the difficult people that we find in our context?  How do we pursue relational peace?        First, PRACTICE HUMILITY.  I am embarrassed to admit that I was an adult before ...  Read More

     I read recently that the fastest growing “religious” group in America are the “nones;” those who would claim no faith (The Rise of the Nones, James Emery White, 7).  Many of these once considered themselves Christians.  We know that doubt is often destructive to faith.  Yet most of us have some doubts, right?  We read the book of Acts and it seems like they saw constant miracles; but that has...  Read More

     Have you ever had someone important to you, leave?  Your grown child says, “Mom, I am taking the job across the country,” or you are married to a soldier and he says, “I am sorry. I just got my orders and I will be overseas for a year.” How do you feel?  Painful right.  Peter, James, John and the other apostles had given up everything to follow Jesus.  They had seen incredible miracles and be...  Read More

     When I began my first ministry as a Senior Pastor, I preached a sermon in which I had put a great deal of time and effort.  After the service, an older man came and chewed me out, telling me if I ever preached anything like that again he would leave the church.  This was a long time member and it really shook me up.  I called my dad, a ministry veteran with decades of service under his belt. ...  Read More

      In our present day, many people are discouraged.  Watch the news for an hour and your mood will tank.  Numerous marriages are hanging on by a thread.  Some teens wrestle with identity issues.  Families struggle to make their budgets work.  Almost all of us could use a little encouragement.  I think of the apostle Paul who wrote to a church struggling with persecution and said, “Therefore enc...  Read More

      Recently, I spent a week and a half laying on our couch more sick than I have been in over a decade.  I had a nasty flu (not COVID).  It was miserable, but in the midst of it I tried to stay grateful.  The Scripture tells us “to give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5;18).  How do we walk out such a seemingly impossible command?  A...  Read More