The Christian life is depicted by a race. Paul rejoiced that he finished the race well (2 Tim. 4:7). Someone cut in on the Galatians and shoved them off the track (Gal. 5:7). The writer of Hebrews exhorts his audience to run the race with endurance (Heb. 12:1). We also discover that a person can disqualify themselves from the race (1 Cor. 9:24-27). Over the last three decades, I’ve watched Christians, including servants of God whom the Lord used mightily,... Read more

Imagine you are living in the 1960s. It’s August 1966, and a friend invites you to hear The Beatles – the world’s greatest band at the time – in concert live. You respond, “I can’t make it this year. I’ll go to their next concert.” Only The Beatles never play live again. But you couldn’t possibly know that when you declined the opportunity to hear them live. It’s July 1980, and your favorite band, Led Zeppelin, is playing a few... Read more

Someone recently asked me how I come up with the content for these articles. I have no clear method. I notice things, write them down, queue them up, and send them out each week. Sometimes, however, I get struck hard with an idea and it moves to the top of the queue. Like this one today. Here are three things I’d encourage you to do this week. Yes, you heard right. *This* week. Not next week, next month, or next year.... Read more

Throughout most of my 20’s, one of the biggest struggles I faced was over whether or not I was impacting people. While my public ministry didn’t begin until I was in my early 30’s, I was active in my local fellowship all throughout my 20’s. I did some speaking and trying my hand at writing (mainly in the form of pamphlets, since we didn’t have blogs back then). My 20’s were my training ground for what would happen later. However,... Read more

A few months ago, someone on Facebook asked me, “How has your thinking changed and developed over the years?” Change is a sign of growth. So I got to thinking about how my thinking has evolved in recent years. Here are seven specific areas in which it has. See if you can resonate with any of these, and feel free to add your own to the list. * I used to think that when a person read a book or... Read more

Many years ago I heard an old preacher give a sermon about how people really don’t change. He argued that transformation is a myth. At the time, I didn’t buy his argument. Today, I’m even more convinced that he was wrong. The old preacher was a case in point. Decades ago, he was a different man than when I first met him. In his youth, he was utterly committed to his Lord, had a tender heart, and God used him mightily. By the... Read more

Celebrity-driven religion is one of the reasons why today’s Christianity is so shallow. So much so that it’s a profound challenge to drown a gnat in it. The marks of a celebrity are twofold. They are overexposed and inaccessible. (And very often, they’re underdeveloped.) Try reaching Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis, or Taylor Swift with an email or Facebook message. Inaccessibility creates a certain mystique that gives the impression that someone is a VIP. This is true regardless of the person’s... Read more

Phil Cooke is the leading media expert in the world. He’s also a strong Christian. So I was honored when he wrote this about my new book recently (below). Phil has written a slew of books, all of which are valuable. Recently, I caught up with Phil to discuss his recent book Maximize Your Influence: How to Make Digital Media Work for Your Church, Your Ministry, and You, which I highly recommend for every author, content-creator, and spiritual leader. Enjoy!... Read more

While traditional sermons produce little change (as I’ve argued elsewhere), Spirit-inspired spoken messages can move continents in your spirit and soul. However, it’s rarely enough to hear a message once. The same with reading a Spirit-inspired book. But if you listen to that same message a dozen times, it will renew your mind and get into your soul. And if you read that book five times, a shift will occur in your brain, and something lasting will be deposited in your heart. I’m talking... Read more

According to experts, manipulation is the exercise of undue influence through mental distortion and emotional exploitation, with the intention to seize control over another human being. It’s important to distinguish between healthy persuasion and psychological manipulation. Healthy persuasion seeks to influence someone to do or believe something that’s for their benefit. Manipulation seeks to influence someone to do or believe something that’s not for their benefit, but for the benefit of the manipulator. Was Paul of Tarsus a manipulator? Not... Read more