I loved spending time recently with NFL players Nick Foles and Chris Maragos on their great podcast, Mission of Truth, which they just started this year. I first met Chris in a players’ chapel service before a Seahawks game, when he was a star on special teams. That year they won the Super Bowl. Later I met Nick, when he and Chris were both with the Eagles. I led a Bible study with fifteen guys, including all three quarterbacks, the head... Read more
Death is not a natural part of life as God intended it. It is the unnatural result of evil. And yet through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God has removed the ultimate sting of death, which explains the appropriate sense of peace and triumph that accompanies grief at a Christian’s memorial service. I’ve conducted funerals for both Christians and non-Christians. As I look into the eyes of those gathered, the tears are just as real for Christians, but I also see... Read more
God calls us all to do certain things that require courage (although He doesn’t call us all to do the same things). How do we cultivate it? It’s as simple as when we hear God speaking to us (through His Word, the counsel of others, and in our hearts when we feel a compulsion from the Holy Spirit) and telling us to do something, we do it. Let’s say you have an uncle who is resistant to the Gospel, and he’s been diagnosed... Read more
The question of the eternal destiny of those who’ve never heard Jesus’ name is frequently raised. God grants every person a lifetime (the length of which varies) to reform, to turn to Him for grace and empowerment. For those who die too young to place their faith in Christ, or who otherwise lack the mental capacity to respond to Him, many Christians throughout the ages have believed God may extend the atonement of Christ to cover them, as an act... Read more
If you are working a “secular” job, you are not second class in God’s Kingdom. You are no less called or gifted than a pastor or a missionary. Your ministry is to represent Jesus in your own sphere of influence and to provide financial support that enables others to do the work God equips them to do. So if God has wired you to be good at what you do—whether business or art, manufacturing or farming, music or medicine, or... Read more
Jesus said, “The one who believes in me…will have streams of living water flow from deep within him” (John 7:38). There’s an old but excellent analogy I find very helpful as a picture of a healthy Christian life. In northern Israel lies the beautiful Sea of Galilee, where Jesus often sailed with His disciples. Water freely flows from it into the Jordan River. Its water is fresh and life-giving. Like many, we’ve been there and seen and smelled its vitality.... Read more
It’s All About Jesus: A Treasury of Insights on Our Savior, Lord, and Friend released on September 1. It’s a collection of the very best quotations about Jesus throughout history, carefully gleaned from hundreds of sources. The book is organized by subject matter, including Christ’s humanity, deity, incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, humor, relationships, wisdom, grace, kindness, generosity, and over a hundred other aspects of His person and work. Why a book of great thoughts and quotations about Jesus? Well, can you think... Read more
Nanci and I were both born in Portland, Oregon. She was raised there, and I grew up in the Portland suburb where we now live. If you’ve seen the news, you know about the nightly riots and looting and protests against the police in downtown Portland, thirty minutes away from our home. There has been a heavy toll on the officers and their families, and the lack of police presence and resources in other areas has also affected people in... Read more
I recently read these words from one of Charles Spurgeon’s sermons, and found them both timely and encouraging: It will sometimes happen that where there is the most sorrow in the antecedents, there will be the most pleasure in the sequel. As the furious storm gives place to the clear sunshine, so the night of weeping precedes the morning of joy. Sorrow the harbinger; gladness the prince it ushers in. [William] Cowper says: “The path of sorrow, and that path alone, Leads to... Read more
Years ago, I wrote a critique of the practice of ghostwriting in Christian publishing, which put me in multiple difficult discussions with publishers and ghostwriters alike. I also joined several dozen other Christian writers in signing a letter to our publishers expressing our ethical objections to ghostwriting. Just what is ghostwriting? It’s when someone else writes a book that is credited to a celebrity as if he or she wrote it. The rationale is that because the real writer’s name isn’t well-known... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In