I recently had the privilege of hosting our Courage For My Life training for 27 incarcerated men. Some of the men are incarcerated for life. The majority of the men will become Peer Facilitators and lead our video-driven discipleship class with other inmates. When I walked into the chapel, the men’s body language (crossed arms,…
When people are asked what they want in life, to be happy is a popular answer. Some would even say, “I deserve to be happy.” Happiness seems to be much sought after. Do we deserve, have a right to be happy? Is that a realistic expectation? On July 4, 1776, Congress approved the final draft…
Have you decided to begin studying your Bible? Perhaps it’s a resolution of sorts, an attempt at reviving an old desire, or some other reason. Maybe you have attempted it in the past but were not successful or couldn’t keep it up. No matter what you have or have not attempted in the past, now…
Each spring, I referee Upward Basketball. Who wouldn’t want to give up their Saturdays to have coaches, parents, spectators, and players yell at you? And it’s done for the lovely sum of free! Most referees have no connection with the players, we just love giving the kids an opportunity to play. (In the spirit of…
John Newton, the author of one of the most beloved Christian hymns, confessed, “Amazing grace, How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.” Countless hymns, worship songs, and poems have been written on the concept of grace. Christians testify…
For a long season, I was incapable of genuinely giving grace to others. While I found it increasingly easy to share God’s message of unconditional forgiveness and grace with those struggling with fear, hurt, sin, and shame, I found it much harder to extend that same message of forgiveness and grace to people who had…
Everyone has a picture of God in their mind. What’s yours? Having spent over four decades in vocational ministry has given me a multitude of opportunities to talk to people about God. One of the questions I like to ask is, “Who is God to you, what’s He like?” The variety of answers is amazing,…
What is love? How would you describe it? From the beginning of time, human beings have tried to explain the concept of love. Tragically, we sometimes develop a distorted view of love from a parent or spouse who abused or manipulated us. Some authorities in our lives may have given “conditional love,” dependent on if…
It’s difficult not to have courage when we fully grasp how deep God’s love is for us. As the Bible says, “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” (Romans 8:31). When I was saved at age nineteen, my eternity was sealed. But my spiritual growth was just beginning. I knew little…