We are created to bring glory to God. That is our ultimate purpose. We have the privilege of doing some really cool stuff that brings Him glory. We can pray, sing, study, worship, fellowship. But, you know what? We will be able to do all these better in Heaven.
Of all the ways to bring Him glory here on earth there is only one that we can do better here than heaven. That one way is to share the Gospel with lost people. You see, there are no lost people in …

Acts 16:22-25 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten.  After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
In his book, In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day, …

So, I am racing against my four year old daughter, Julie the other day. Most of the time, I let her win. Really, she’s the only one of my kids that I can still outrun. Sometimes, though, I will let her lose. I believe kids need to know how to lose. They need to know they are not invincible. Anyway, the race is on and I’m out in front. The finish line is the front porch. I hear from behind me, “Race you to the truck.”
She changed the rules so …

I’m reading a book called Oikos, Your World Delivered.  The author, Tom Mercer, makes a really good point early in the book. It is something that I haven’t really considered and I would bet that’s true for most of us. I stink at most everything. So do you. Can you say that? The truth is, God made us really good at very few things… for a reason. He did it so we can focus.
1 Corinthians 12:18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of …

In our current economy, bankruptcy and foreclosures are increasingly common. I just heard a news report saying it is OK to walk away from a mortgage if it has become a bad business arrangement. In essence, if you made a decision and it went bad, you are now allowed to ignore your promise and transfer the consequences to the lender. By the way, you also share the consequences with your neighbors whose homes are instantly worth less.
Scripture holds a different view. First, debt is not a place for children of …

John 19:30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.”
It is finished. These were the last words of Jesus on the cross. What is finished?

The nightmare of the crucifixion – Jesus had survived the most horrific day in all of history. The agony and humiliation of the cross were behind Him.
His ministry on earth as a human – Jesus ministry was certainly not over, but His ministry in the constraints of a human body were finished. From here on out, He would minister in His glorified, resurrection, …

I am really excited about an opportunity to preach the Sunday service at the Church of God here in Los Anonos, Costa Rica. These are wonderful people with a heart to serve, The conditions around them are so overwhelming, they seem at times discouraged and unable to look past their struggles and see the world of mission around them.
I will be preaching on Acts 1:4-11. My desire is to encourage them with the idea that the Holy Spirit WILL grant them power and He WILL reach the ends of the …

This weekend, we talked about tithing (listen here). Always a touchy subject because money is among the most personal subjects we can talk about. You might balk at that statement, but think about it, who knows how much you make? Who knows how much you have in savings? Who knows how much debt you have? This is all information that we keep very close to the vest because we know it speaks volumes of us and our priorities.
As we looked into this discipline of tithing we heard loud and clear …

Jody and Cammie Shelatz taught on fasting this week at The Summit. They brought some fresh insight to the subject that really hit home for me. They concluded with a challenge to fast for one day during the week. (Listen here)
I have been challenged or “invited” to fast in the past and I always have this great excuse. God didn’t invite me, you did. If God didn’t invite me, I’m not going to do it, and if you tell me I have to, that’s legalism.
Here’s the deal. God did invite …

Have you ever read about David’s Mighty Men? Take a minute and read 2 Samuel 23:8-39. What is your gut reaction to this passage? I would dare say that most men react in a way that is quite different from most women.
As a man, I read that and think, “I want to make that list.” Can you imagine sitting around that dinner table and sharing those stories? I believe that somewhere in every man is the desire to be considered a mighty man. I also believe that most men haven’t …