All of us at some time or another face difficulties, hardships, trials, and attacks. These could be outward things like disease, rejection, betrayal, death of a loved one, or loss of a job. Many times it can be an inner battle with discouragement, depression, lust, unfaithfulness, or loneliness. I often refer to these things as giants…

As we enter a season where we celebrate not only our national Thanksgiving but also our worldwide thanksgiving at Christmas, we are moved to think about so much and so many people for which we are thankful. Even as I write this, the news is full of those who are thankful for police officers who have laid down their lives to save them in the midst of crime and crisis…

The first statement of focus that elicited quite alarming responses is phrased this way: “Even the smallest sin deserves eternal damnation.” An alarming 69% of people surveyed selected that they either strongly disagreed or somewhat disagreed with this statement. That’s almost 7 out of 10 people who felt that sin is not deserving of the punishment described in the Bible…

Are you thirsty? Like really, really thirsty? The type of thirst where your mouth is parched and you would do anything for a tall glass of iced water? The type of thirst you watch play out in the movies. The scene is set with a man stumbling lost through the desert…

As Mother’s Day has passed and Father’s Day approaches, I am reminded of both blood-related as well as spiritual-related nurturers in my life. I could spend hours thinking of stories of the people that have influenced my life, all of whom have impacted me in significantly different ways. However, I won’t bore you with the stories of late night car washes using warm bath water with my dad…

Welcome to Chengdu! Or, should I say, “欢迎来到成都.” Now that you’re a field worker (missionary) here in China, it’s literally your job to figure out how to read and say that—not in English, but in Chinese. Not only that, you also have to learn how to say really hard words like “justification” and “reconciliation.” Sure, you can try to go to the street corner, stand on a box and tell of the love of God, reconciliation to the Father, and justification by faith alone in Christ alone. You can do all that in English, but as Confucius said, “How’s that workin’ out for ya’?” 

Growing up in a mid-sized steel and rubber town in northern Ohio exposed me to a vast spiritual and cultural experience in the great melting pot America once was. As a kid, my friends ran the gamut of black, white, and every imaginable European lineage. My regular playmates were of Italian, Greek, Hungarian, German, and Polish descent…..

Christmas season is a reflection season for me. In many ways the month of December is a review of the year; how have I done as a husband, father, friend, pastor, servant of the Master? It is also a time to consider that as the old year ends with all its’ joys and failures...