As long as I’ve been a Christian, I’ve noted two spiritual pillars that are incredibly difficult to keep in mind. They are all-too easy to forget. One is to rejoice in our suffering. The other is to put ourselves in the shoes of another person whenever we’re dealing on the level of human relationships. I will confess that I’ve had a hard time remembering these two things. And I’m in need of constant reminding of them. And so is every... Read more

You’ll never cure lukewarmness by guilting people into being hot. You must give them a stunning revelation of Christ. Read more

All throughout the Gospel, Jesus Christ is shown to be “the friend (and defender) of sinners” who “ate and drank.” (See Luke 7:34). In this story, we find Him to be eating, drinking, and befriending a female sinner. Jesus welcomed the tax collectors, the thieves, the prostitutes, and the adulterers into His kingdom. For this reason, the Lord consistently violated social taboos to reach out to those who the culture marginalized (Luke 7:1–10), economically (Luke 7:11–17), religiously (Luke 7:24–34), and... Read more

Trials, adversity, pain, suffering, loss, persecution, attacks, and downright onslaught are part of the lives of all who put their hands to the plow and served the Lord. Both past and present. But there’s a great tragedy when a servant of the Lord waste’s their sufferings. There’s no artful way of saying it, but the trick is to learn how to be broken but not destroyed. If you’re looking for a footnote, read 2 Corinthians Chapter 4. That chapter is... Read more

Amy Simpson has written an interesting new book. It’s called Blessed Are the Unsatisifed. I caught up with Amy recently to discuss her new book. Enjoy! What did you write Unsatisfied and who is it written for? Blessed Are the Unsatisfied is written for Christians who have frequently heard that they should feel satisfied because they’re in relationship with Jesus, but who are aware that they don’t actually feel that way all the time. In particular, it’s written for people... Read more

Today’s world is incredibly complicated. So much so that most of us are seeking ways to simplify our lives amid the blizzard of busyness. The trick to simplifying your life is to look at what you do in a given month. Then analyze what needs to be done from what can be removed or trimmed back. As an example, here are five ways that I’ve simplified my life in 2015. Perhaps some of them will inspire you and ignite your own ideas.... Read more

In case you’ve not heard, a recent Pew Study revealed that Millenials are leaving the institutional church in large numbers. CNN built on it with a leading article called Millennials are Leaving the Church in Droves. Many of you who are subscribed to this blog are Millennials (20s to mid-30s). As I’ve traveled the country and spoken in conferences mostly populated with this age group, Millennials have told me the same things when it comes to the reasons why they... Read more

When someone famous dies, my dad will say, “You watch … there will be two more very soon. Well-known people always die in threes.” The beginning of May confirmed this observation once again. Three authors who wrote on spiritual topics left this world last week. May 2nd – Warren Wiersbe May 4th – Rachel Held Evans (which was a shocker given how young she was and the strange and sudden cause of her death) May 7th – Jean Vanier Peace,... Read more

Disclaimer: If you aren’t a writer, a blogger, an author, someone who has a business or ministry, just skip today’s post and check out my FAQ page which has been updated recently. Aside from spiritual and theological questions, which I’m often asked, the most frequent questions I receive are from bloggers and authors who ask me all sorts of questions about the craft of writing. In this post, I’m going to candidly address what I believe to be the chief... Read more