In the book of Genesis, we read about a woman named Agar wandering the desert with her boy Ishmael. Unfortunately she had very little water; nothing but a bottle of water for him to drink and when that water ran out she could not bear to watch the boy die of thirst. She left him …
I have a habit of calling movie stars by their first names. I am a big fan of the Mission Impossible movies and sometimes I forget that I really don’t know Tom Cruise. For example, I will be chatting with my wife and say “Man wasn’t that a crazy stunt Tom did?” She will be …
Every soldier in the army of God must ask himself: “Are we on a cruise ship or a battleship here?” The way we answer the question makes a difference in how we carry ourselves, live our lives, and execute our duties. Cruise-ship Christianity is akin to one long vacation. It’s like living inside the reality …
The rumblings and statistics are hard to ignore. There is a constant barrage of breaking news of my generation leaving the Church in record numbers, and becoming increasingly more secular in their worldview. Based on these accounts, it would appear as if all hope is lost and the Church might as well “throw-in-the-towel”. Judging by …
If you are like me, you have people in your life who are away from God and it breaks your heart thinking they may spend eternity away from you and from God. Many people wonder if they can make a difference in someone’s life. Others know they can, but aren’t exactly sure how. They don’t …
In mission work the Spirit of Darkness is heavy, the principalities, the rulers, the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places have taken hold. Death permeates the cities, the homes, the eyes of many people. We are entering regions where Jesus is not known. Prayer in these places requires the Holy Spirit’s power, sensitivity …
It was a difficult climb down. I had to hold on to a wire that was drilled into the side of a mountain. Holding onto the “rock” took on a whole new meaning. But as I hiked down Mount Arbel on my trip to Israel last year, God gave me some wondrous revelations: We can …
As a boy, I admired the confidence and conviction of Muhammad Ali, who is not a Christian but was deeply insightful regarding the mentality of effective fighters. Once, to psych out a challenger for the heavy weight title, Ali said: “Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them—a …
Getting men to pray has always been a daunting task. I suspect that we men like to talk to God on our own terms. Plus, the whole notion of relational connection is always frightening to us. Although quite a number of men feel this way, many women also struggle with the notion of building lives …