Today is Father’s Day.  A holiday that reminds us to celebrate the first man to invest in our lives.  I realize many have a father wound because of an absent, broken or even an evil father, but that is not most of us.  Many of us have fathers that we think of and smile.  Many have memories of him coaching your teams, taking you hunting and fishing and teaching you many skills.  I learned a gr...

     What are you afraid of? Many drown in the negativity of our environment.  The news has an old adage that follows, “if it bleeds it leads.”  Bad news seems to permeate the cultural air we breathe.  Our minds can spiral down scary scenarios of “what if. . . “  Often our fears reveal what is most valuable to us.  Our fears can reveal the areas where we least trust the Lord. The last time I was g...

     We live in a world of conflict.  Divorce rates are high.  Political discussions are rarely civil.  Churches sometimes split.  People get fired.  Mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law do not always see eye to eye.  I am amazed how many times I have been in a coffee shop or restaurant reading a book and the people at the table next to me or the waitresses nearby are discussing a conflict they are...

     Today millions of Christians will celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Clearly the Resurrection is a stunning miracle but what are the lasting results of the Resurrection?      First, the Resurrection gives us certainty.  No other religious leader predicted their own death and resurrection and then backed it up.  Not Mohammed.  Not Buddha.  Jesus made some outrageous claims.  He claim...

      Failure.  Tough word.  Heavy, painful and probably a memory explodes in your mind.  Early in my ministry in Kentucky I was leading a class for new believers.  We were sitting in a circle, and I wanted us to go over a large portion of Scripture.  I had each person read a couple verses.  We got to one middle aged man who got very angry, jumped up and left.  Apparently, he could not read, and I...