This just in from our global online tribe: “I am nice to everyone but it doesn’t seem to reach the level of Christ-like kindness I see in others at my church. What am I missing?” This is what I “GOD KINDNESS,” a Christ-like attribute that all of us value and want to express. But as the questioner is seeing in his own life, it does not come naturally.    Let’s unpack that truth.    Our...

This just in from our global online tribe: “I want to know how God can be merciful and at the same time wrathful.” GOOD NEWS! We can reconcile these two seemingly opposed forces.    Start by DEBUNKING the notion that God’s mercy and wrath are in direct opposition. They are certainly an odd couple, but they are not in opposition. They BOTH exist to glorify God.    Understanding...

This just in from our global online tribe: “My faith is solid and deep but I cannot stop worrying about what people think of me. Does that make me ‘less Christian’?” It is not wrong to want people to like us. But it is wrong when we care more about what PEOPLE think than what JESUS thinks.    To some degree, many Christians fear rejection of man more than they fear God. They shade the truth....

God showers us with his blessings and grace every day, even if … and even while trouble storms our life’s gate. He is always watching over us. He knows about our suffering. He cares about our insecurity. “The Lord watches over the righteous and listens to their cries.” Psalm 34:15    God greets us with this gift every day, just as the sun dutifully takes its position in the morning sky....

Jump back to the days WITHOUT your Flatscreen TV and Smartphone. I’ll give you a few minutes to think. OK…I’m back. You can’t remember, right? Right. I understand. Those devices have become “permanent” fixtures in 21st Century America.    You may think this message is about the perils of excessive “screen time.” But it’s not. My focus today is on the lost art of meditation.    No,...

Soon after waking up this morning with sleepy eyes and my companion crick in the neck, I thought about Dr. Martin Luther King and his incredibly important legacy our nation will honor today. My next thought was that nobody wants the pilot of their plane to be BLIND. Sounds crazy, right? Yes, but it has a backstory that starts with a string of words all of us have heard: “I am colorblind to race.”    People...

Continuing here with this month’s theme: TAKE ANOTHER LOOK—an introspective focus on topics all Christians should regularly consider. Today’s message is a question: HAVE YOU ACTIVATED YOUR FAITH? There is no better source for direction on what it means to activate our faith than the Apostle Peter.    He starts with an intense focus on CONFIDENCE in God’s promises. This will ACTIVATE...

Continuing here with this month’s theme: TAKE ANOTHER LOOK—an introspective focus on topics all Christians should regularly consider. Today that message is “BEING PRESENT.” First, full disclosure!    I have always looked at the line “being present” as silly.    But I DO embrace its larger message of cherishing the “NOW” moments of life. You know, the seemingly insignificant and...

This just in from our global tribe of 511,000 online followers: “I want to be confident in 2020 but there is no reason to expect anything other than what has happened in the past. I expect things to be messed up.” This question raises one of the most important points every Christian must continually consider: EXPECTATIONS.    Doing just that is one of the steps I take every year when JANUARY...

It’s a NEW year and I am NOT going to talk about making a RESOLUTION. I just want to ask a simple question: Are you starting 2020 with WORRY being a GIVEN in your life? It’s ok if you answered yes. Heck, we all worry about jobs and people and money and our health and, well, you fill in the blank. We worry about EVERYTHING.    For some, the worry is mild…maybe even microscopic. For others,...