“I’ve Got This!” That line shows incredible hubris, right? Yep. But that’s how I looked at spiritual maturity early in my faith walk when I tried to turn a superficial understanding into my “permanent” relationship with Christ. When it failed, I called on my professional success and money to soothe the pain of living without God. The results were ugly. The minute we think “I’ve Got This,” God tells...

Burned-out and boarded-up buildings. Economic turbulence. Political incivility. Forests on fire. Homeless encampments. Melting icebergs. Murder in the streets. Floods and hurricanes. Middle East strife. Rampant inflation. Housing price crunch. That’s the SHORT list of issues raining down on our world today—a time people say “the world has never seen.” But I could pick ANY century and come up with...

Let’s cut to the chase: “Fake it ’til you make it” (FITYMI) is a lie wrapped in a catchphrase. In a world obsessed with appearances, this idea might seem like a clever hack to get ahead, but for Christians, it’s a spiritual dead-end and a dangerous deception. If we’re leaning on this pop culture crutch, it’s time for a wake-up call. Faking anything, especially faith, is a...

It was early in my faith walk, and I had no idea that God had a complete picture of my heart. He saw every sin as it was birthed in my pumping power plant, and the world saw my character through the words that had just passed through the headquarters of my life. I was naïve, thinking I could mask my true self behind a facade, presenting a pretend heart to those around me. God taught me later that...

Like millions of Christians around the globe, I was stunned beyond comprehension when a troupe of drag queens performed during the opening ceremony for the Olympics in Paris last Friday. This was blatant mockery of Jesus Christ and it’s WRONG. The Olympic Organizing Committee apparently decided to put a modern twist on Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic “The Last Supper.” This version featured...

I had an epiphany this past weekend I am calling “REVERSE WISDOM.” Here’s the story. I used to think my level of wisdom went up with every passing year. But as my spiritual maturity has grown and compounded over the years, I think it’s the OPPOSITE. The closer I get to Christ, the less I rely on my own wisdom. My “LIFE wisdom” may grow every year, but my goal is to expand my “GOD Wisdom.” I...

This weekend’s assassination attempt on a candidate for the American presidency had my attention in a headlock. While wrestling with its tight grip, my mind returned to a familiar theme: Life today in the 21st Century is a terrifying roller-coaster ride rumbling through a nasty run of inflation, crippling crime; wars around the globe, dizzying technological advances; and a pall of uncertainty that...

My dominant thought this past weekend was SELF-PITY and how so many believers—including ME—validate negative circumstances and soak our soul in past and present hardships. Here’s the theme that my thinking produced for this message: Self-Pity is moving FORWARD–with excessive, self-absorbed unhappiness over our troubles–and leaving God BEHIND. Self-pity comes knocking when we tell ourselves...

Christians are NOT Growing in 2024! That was my conclusion this past weekend when I realized how little spiritual maturity was being talked about in these days of modernity and convenience. Here’s my outlier view on why this is the case: Our sophisticated and comfortable lifestyle–with the internet and artificial intelligence seemingly able to answer or cure or address anything—makes it difficult...

Celebrating Father’s Day yesterday had me counting a mountain of blessings and especially thanking God for taming my AMBITION so I could be the father he wanted me to be. You see…I’ve been driven by AMBITION my entire life. It started in elementary school trying to dominate recess. Expanded while performing on the football field in high school and college. And exploded in the marketplace as an ambitious...