We are all familiar with the tests, trials, tragedies, and tribulations of life. Despite the pain that accompanies them, they play an instrumental role in our spiritual growth IF we are spurred to place unconditional trust in God. The Lord of Heaven and earth uses our weaknesses on the darkest days of our life to perfect us in Christ. Another similar, but often overlooked, challenge are the MISSED...

A good friend told me a powerful story yesterday that began with him buying a low-mileage car loaded with options and tricked with style. He recalled the positive vibe he had slipping out of the dealer’s parking lot in his new ride with 400 horses running under the hood. Little did he know that the good vibe would end quickly. His low-mileage prize was a LIE. He was a victim of the fraudulent “odometer...

I was chatting yesterday with one of my closest friends on the planet–a very wise man and mature Christian–when he tossed me this sage and piercing insight: “Mark, The day I am not surprised by being praised is the day I know my humility is gone.”    He is right.    My version of the same point goes something like this:    “I always want to be SHOCKED when...

We have all seen war and spy movies where one of the characters was harshly interrogated. The person being questioned is usually tied to a chair and bloodied with a slack chin drooping away from frantic and fearful eyes. These interrogations are always harsh, occasionally violent, and sometimes deadly. The one thing they all have in common is their intensity and the interrogator’s ruthlessness.    in·ter·ro·gate:...

More and more voices are jumping out of our shelter-in-place prisons with this announcement to the world: “I GIVE UP.” Perhaps you have heard that line or this other version of the same song: “I’M SO DONE WITH 2020!” We all seem to be skating away on the thin ice of a new day. Sinking into the depths and not swimming toward the shore. Retreating to our cocoon instead of racing to...

We are living in an INFORMATION AGE animated by technology and fueled by stories. Life in the 21st Century has morphed into a meta narrative made up of myriad stories that give us navigational perspective. Communicating and persuading and influencing and inspiring without a story is nearly impossible. Everyone LOVES a good story.    Stories give the internet ballast and anchors for marketers....

This just in from our global online tribe: I really like your “Activate My Faith” blogs. Are some steps more important than others in activating my faith? One important step every Christian on the planet must take to activate their faith is BEING more like Christ and DOING less of what the world promotes.    For me, it took a very very long time to activate my faith and it’s still a life-long...

Researchers say the attention span of humans in the 1950s was 30 seconds or more. By 2000 it had plummeted to 12 seconds on its way to 8 seconds in 2015 before settling at 4.5 seconds today. It won’t be long before we stop measuring the world’s attention span because there will be nothing to measure. We’ll stop counting and say our attention is the “BLINK OF AN EYE.”    But hold on…    I...

Reducing risk is prudent. You know–seatbelts, insurance, and locked doors. But 100% risk-free living is a MYTH. Our next breath is possible…but that’s it. Our life rests in the hands of God. The Bible says we will be never be safe from peril (Acts 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:12). But that reality does not stop most Christians from avoiding risk.    RISK AVOIDANCE may be free, but it will eventually...

We have all heard the idiom: “YOU CAN’T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER.” And of course it makes sense. A person’s worth and character cannot be determined by outward appearances. But Christians and unbelievers alike still have trouble following God’s example instead of judging people by their cover. “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look...