If we are going to fully trust God, it’s vital that we believe in a happy God who cares deeply for our welfare and is active in creation and redemption. In his sermon “A Free Salvation,” Charles Spurgeon said, Let a man truly know the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he will be a happy man! And the deeper he drinks into the spirit of Christ, the more happy will he become! That religion which teaches misery to... Read more
George Washington Carver (1864–1943) was born into slavery on a Missouri plantation. He was a frail and sickly baby whose father had recently died. While still an infant, George and his mother were kidnapped. He was later returned to the plantation and traded for a horse, while his mother was never heard from again. Carver was ten when he went to Kansas and put himself through high school. In 1891, he entered the college that’s now called Iowa State University.... Read more
During a Q&A interview earlier this year, I was asked “What would you say to your younger self?” Here was my answer: And for those who would like to read a summary of what I shared, and want more resources: 1) Learn to say no to even very good things so that you can be free to say yes to those few wonderful things God has called you to do. Years ago I wrote an article on Planned Neglect: Saying No to Good Things So We... Read more
I met Andy Stanley twenty years ago. I found him interesting and likeable. We had a number of mutual friends, I knew people at his church, and I have recommended several of his books that I found helpful and on target. I am sad to say that in the last eight years or so I have been unable to recommend Andy’s teaching for a variety of reasons. This 2016 article by Josh Buice documents some of those. I take no delight in... Read more
Jesus said, “There is more happiness in giving than in receiving” (Acts 20:25). This is the Good News Translation, and it correctly renders the Greek word makarios as happiness. One of the greatest gifts we can give our children is freedom from materialism. How? By teaching them to be generous givers who know everything belongs not to them, but to God. And by demonstrating that greater joy is found in giving than keeping. Giving statistics are bleak. They consistently show that older generations give... Read more
Psalm 119:107 says, “I have suffered much; preserve my life, O Yahweh, according to your word.” The God to whom the psalmist prays knows how much and the nature of his suffering. Jesus knows the same about us but invites us to pour out our hearts to Him nevertheless. God’s Word gives us strength in our weariness, and it comforts and sustains us. When not afflicted, we tend to go astray, but God uses our afflictions to help us obey... Read more
I love this audio devotional from the excellent book Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund. When I really love a book, I tend to either read it quickly or slowly. In the case of this book, I read it very slowly and spent multiple days reading some of the chapters because I found it so rich and nourishing and worthy of contemplation. Nanci also read it in the last year before she went to live with Jesus. I would highly recommend this book... Read more
One of our staff sent me this video about “If Your Bible Was Your Cell Phone…” I thought it was great. It’s funny, but it makes a good point. And it’s a reminder that there are two kinds of Bible poverty in the world: first, the poverty of those who don’t have God’s Word in their own language; and second, the poverty of being surrounded by Bibles, but not reading them. Scripture confronts sin in our lives, encourages our obedience, and... Read more
Most of us are unaccustomed to thinking of nations, rulers, civilizations, and culture in Heaven, but Isaiah 60 is one of many passages that demonstrate that the New Earth will in fact be earthly and full of the Earth’s nations. God’s people will have a glorious future in which the nations and their leaders will participate in and benefit from a renewed and glorious Jerusalem. It won’t be only some nations but all of them: “All assemble and come to... Read more
In my novel Safely Home, I tell the story of two Harvard roommates reunited in China twenty years after graduation. One is American businessman Ben Fielding, an entrepreneur in international high-tech corporate partnerships. The other is Li Quan, a brilliant academic who, when Ben last saw him, was headed home to be a professor at a Chinese university. When Ben reconnects with Li Quan on a business trip to China, he’s shocked to find his old friend living in poverty, working... Read more
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