In the Hebrew Scriptures there are hundreds of commands. Jesus was once asked what the greatest command was.  He said in essence, love God and love your neighbor.  I want to focus on the second command in the cliff note version of ethics from Jesus—loving our neighbors.  In the New Testament, we are told repeatedly to love one another.  Honestly, Christians struggle with this; I know I do.  ...  Read More

      I’m 54 years old.  I do not consider myself a senior citizen but have three grandchildren and three more on the way!  I read recently that the average life span for American men is 73 and for women is 79 (Not Too Old, David Faust, 13).  Therefore, if I am average, I have 19 years left; the sand is rapidly flowing to the bottom of my proverbial hourglass.  I appreciate the challenge of author...  Read More

      Everyone agrees that one of our greatest and deepest emotional needs is to be loved.  God as our Creator loves us passionately.  The prophet Jeremiah speaks for God saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love . . .” (Jeremiah 31:3).  The Bible is complex, but at its heart it is a love story: God’s love for us and our opportunity to love Him.  The Bible is clear that God’s primary post...  Read More

     Almost all of us worry at one time or another.  Our list might be different but most of us have some fear about our families, finances and future.  Even little things can get to us if we are not careful.  It has been said, “Worry often is a small thing that casts a big shadow.”  --Swedish Proverb  (Winning The Worry Battle, Barb Roose, 21)  We mentally play the “what if” game.  What if I lose...  Read More

      A few months ago, we did an event called Skeptics Welcome. The idea was that people could come and ask a panel of two pastors their questions about the Christian faith. One of the questions that I thought was the most challenging was “How can we say God is good when the Bible says the Lord created evil?” The writer of the question then offered the reference Isaiah 45:7. We read the King Jame...  Read More

      Recently Journey did an event that we called Skeptics Welcome.  At the event non-Christians were invited to come and ask their questions about the Christian faith.  One of the questions that was asked in various forms by those who attended was “Why should we trust the Bible?”      No one can deny that the Bible is a widely popular book.  It is the library that is the intellectual foundation ...  Read More

      Parenting is complex.  My wife and I have five children.  Our parenting has entered a new stage now that four have launched and the only one left is a fifteen-year-old.  All of our children are followers of Christ.  At this moment it looks like we have extended the baton of faith to the next generation.  So how is this done?  In contrast, the current culture is very influential.  Many who gr...  Read More

      Are there good reasons to believe in God?  I think the answer is a clear yes and want to use the word C.L.E.A.R. to give a few reasons on why I believe in the existence of God. I acknowledge that there are thick, academic books written on this subject; I just want to get you to begin thinking about this fundamental question. C. THE EXISTENCE OF THE COSMOS SAYS YES      From the ancient Greek...  Read More

      Moms naturally give a great deal to their children.  When I consider the moms I have been privileged to have in my life, I have learned so much from them.   I think all of us have gleaned much from the mothers among us.        First, my mom taught me I was loved. Author and medical doctor Curt Thompson once said, “Everyone comes into the world as a baby looking for someone looking for them.”...  Read More

     Over the years I have done hundreds of individual spiritual plans with people.  One of the questions I often ask in that process is “If you could ask God anything and you knew He would answer, what would you ask?” The number one answer is some variation on the question “Why is there so much evil and suffering in the world?”  Typically, the person puts a personal focus on it such as “Why did I...  Read More

     Everyone wants to be happy; we all want to have lives filled with joy.  Yet so many Americans do not experience happiness.  How do we live with a deep, profound sense of joy?      First, connect with Jesus Christ.  French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascall once said, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God...  Read More

       Around the world today millions will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  One of the most basic and important Christian beliefs is that Jesus predicted his own death, died on a cross and rose from the dead.  We believe the evidence for this conviction is strong:  the fact of the empty tomb, the eyewitness testimony of hundreds of people and the transformation of the discouraged, dep...  Read More