I have a list of people that I pray for daily, weekly and monthly. Recently, I was going through this list, and quite a bit of time went by before I realized my heart was not awakened. My mind was engaged but my heart was dead. I had all these names to pray through, but I was just fulfilling a duty. Prayer, unless we are diligent and thoughtful, can become horizontal. It can be only a list, a task to... Read more
I remember the winter of 1980. I was ready to start my first major tour to share about the ministry of Gospel for Asia. I had bought a cheap air ticket that gave me unlimited travel for 21 days. I had meetings lined up across the country. However, on the day of my departure, a terrible winter storm hit the region. All the buses—including the one I planned to take from Oklahoma to Dallas—were cancelled. My old Nova had some... Read more
There was a time in my life I was so discouraged I considered leaving the ministry completely and going into real estate. Outwardly, I was doing all the right things, but my heart had become cold. One day, I was reading about the life of Jacob in the Bible, and suddenly the Lord began to speak to my heart. I realized, just like Jacob, I had messed up. I had been focused on good things, but not the right things.... Read more
I enjoy reading about church history, although I wouldn’t call myself a historian. Other pressing responsibilities keep me from investing the time it would take to do the careful research necessary to write authoritatively about a topic as expansive as the Protestant Reformation or an individual like Martin Luther. You are probably aware that this October 31st marks the 500th anniversary of the nailing of Luther’s 95 Theses to the Wittenberg Castle Church door. At that time, church front-doors served... Read more
John the Baptist sat in Herod’s prison. Knowing that his life hung by a very thin thread, he sent two of his disciples to Jesus to ask, “Are You the coming One, or do we look for another?” (Luke 7:20). What had happened to the mighty, fearless preacher who called his whole nation to repentance and accused the Pharisees of being a brood of vipers? John was born to elderly parents—an incredible miracle. Growing up, he must have heard them... Read more
God is asking us to focus on the principle of love. This is the only force powerful enough to propel us across the bridges of detachment and simplicity. Only love can draw us to reality in our handling of material things, and only love can prevent us from shipwrecking on the rocks of legalism in this critical area of spiritual discipline. The Law of Love When Jesus was challenged to name the greatest commandment and thus sum up the moral... Read more
Imagine you are packing your bag, preparing to take a one-way trip to another part of the country. You get on a train, travel about 1,500 miles and end up in a colony of rundown shacks—and you are going to live there. Where you’ll be staying, you have no running water, no bathroom and no guarantee of safety. You are there to serve leprosy patients, helping them bathe, cutting their hair, cleaning their wounds and feeding them. You will experience... Read more
It’s amazing how many Christian activities average believers participate in at one time or another during their Christian life. They feed the hungry, sing in the choir, teach Sunday school, collect clothing for the homeless, visit prison inmates, witness on the streets, volunteer in a nursing home, demonstrate for a moral issue, collect money for sick children, support a missionary, help the elderly and so on. All of these good causes are a help and blessing to others. However, often... Read more
It seems everyone has their own idea of what it means to follow Christ. Read more
One of our great difficulties in life is that we try to understand Christ and relate to Him in terms of time and space. When we talk about being near someone or looking at someone, we think in terms of our eyes and ears and distance. But time and space are only relevant to us as finite beings. God is everywhere and feels all, which is why the psalmist declares, “One cannot hide from Him anywhere, He is closer to... Read more
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