All of us experience this mental drill at some point: As soon as I… Restore that relationship. Fix that fear. Kick that habit. Get that promotion. Pay off that debt. Calm that anxiety. Boost that self-confidence. . . . Then I will follow Jesus. No you won’t.    Yes, getting out of the “as soon as I…” trap is tough work. And even if we do escape, a wave of PRESSURE will immediately envelope...

This just in from our global online tribe: Is telling someone who is hurting in some way that I will “THINK GOOD THOUGHTS” for them the same as saying I will pray for them if they know I’m a Christian? No.    While thinking “good thoughts” is a nice gesture, it is not a prayer because the power of Christ has not been activated. And, importantly, it skips right past the opportunity...

Yesterday I pointed out the imperative for all believers to “LIVE OUT” their faith by pulling JESUS out of religion and putting him in our heart so he can drive how we think and act. That prompted many positive comments and several requests from our global online tribe to elaborate on what it meant to “pull Jesus out of religion.” So let’s do that together right now.      As I mentioned...

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...