Recently we were riveted to our TVs as we watched the emotional battle for the Supreme Court unfold. We saw sadness as a woman told her painful story. And we saw the anger of a man defending his honor and his reputation. Because of his anger, they said he does not have the right temperament for the highest court in…
A friend once told me how he carried a pistol around in his car for six weeks, planning to kill himself. In his book, Out of Confusion, he writes, “I was broken and hurting badly. I had failed in everything. There was nothing to look forward to and nothing to comfort me. I remember the time, it was nine o’clock…
Recently I was interviewed by our local newspaper. The editor sent questions, and I spent the entire weekend trying to figure out how to answer them. The questions forced me to look back over my life and try to explain it to a complete stranger. In some way, it forced me to think about the meaning and purpose of my…
Watching events in Singapore unfold, I thought about some truths I’ve learned about life. Only an individual can be a carrier of life—not our institutions, organizations, governments and their policies, or even churches with their dogmas and doctrines. It is only through our individual genuineness and aliveness that we can significantly touch others. Only our capacity to be truly present…
In making peace with our past, we need to forgive from our heart everyone who has ever hurt us. We need to forgive our father and mother and all other family or friends for what they did or did not do for us in our life. And we must become aware of our need to forgive our self. We cannot…
In honor of Pentecost Sunday tomorrow I am posting my essay, “Ode to the Holy Spirit.” I describe the condition in our culture (remember, the God is dead movement?) and the ensuing outpouring of the Holy Spirit around the world. I think you will be blessed as you recall what God did in the midst of great darkness upon our…
According to Hebrews 1:1-2, in Old Testament times God spoke to His people through the prophets. In New Testament times God spoke to His people through His son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Upon Jesus’ return to the right hand of God, He promised to pour out the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33). The promise of the Father is that the Holy…
After we receive Jesus, there are two things we need to become knowledgeable of: 1) how to use our faith, and 2) the Holy Spirit. Since we celebrate Pentecost next Sunday, I want to focus on the Holy Spirit. We need to understand who the Holy Spirit is, the work of the Holy Spirit, how the Holy Spirit leads us,…
Most Christians know the story of Easter by rote, but for many the full reality of it has not entered into their hearts. They have little revelation about Jesus Christ and His work on the cross. Without revelation in our hearts we end up with a sterile religion, empty of any power to change us on the inside or enable…
To the believers in Rome, Paul wrote: “those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:17b). In other words, God has made available to us an abundance of grace that will enable us to transcend our failures and weaknesses. Understanding Grace We need to understand…