“At the cross, the love of God and the wrath of God shake hands; the mercy of God and the justice of God embrace; and the holiness of God and the sinfulness of humanity appear in stark contrast.” (William P. Farley, from Outrageous Mercy) One of my concerns as I view Christianity in America today…

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This week, I wanted to pass on to you a few thoughts from Gary Brumbelow of the Disciple Nations Alliance. Over the past few years, I have learned a great deal (through books and missions periodicals, as well as many conversations with Christian leaders from around the world) about what it takes to bring true,…

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A few weeks ago, I heard a great analogy that describes the role of pastoral and leadership training throughout the developing world… “Pastoral and leadership training here in America is like opening another restaurant – there’s one on virtually every corner. On the other hand, pastoral and leadership training throughout the developing world is like opening…

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One of my favorite things to do during the Summer months (especially on vacation) is to read biographies of great men and women of the past. One that deeply impacted me was on the life of David Brainerd, missionary to the Native Americans in the early 1700′s. It was entitled, An Account of the Life…

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“Until you have found something worth dying for, you have not found something worth living for!” “Out of all the eternal ages of our existence as God’s children, these tiny years here on earth have a destiny that can never be repeated. The Bible tells us that in the stench of a sick and rotting…

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As I write this, I have just returned from the funeral service for fallen Phoenix Police Officer, Travis Murphy. Travis is the nephew of some long time friends of ours, Dale and Theresa Crull. Officer Murphy was only 29 years old and had a young daughter and a two-week-old son. As you can imagine, his…

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“Only two things are sure in life: death and taxes,” so goes the famous saying. A story is told of the famed philosopher Diogenes. He was looking intently at a large collection of human bones that were piled one upon the other. Alexander the Great stood nearby and became curious about what Diogenes was doing….

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“I say the tragedy is how you’re gonna spend the rest of your nights with the light on so shine the light on all of your friends when it all amounts to nothing in the end I won’t worry my life away . . .” – Lyrics to ‘The Remedy” by Jason Mraz Did you…

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Do you ever get tired of this world? It’s dashed dreams and broken promises . . . suffering and injustices . . . the pain and hurt and disappointment? When we grow weary of this world, there’s a good reason. It’s because we’ve been made for another world. This isn’t heaven. This isn’t our final…

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“He who provides for this life but takes no care for eternity is wise for a moment but a fool forever.” Today I am beginning a new weekly blog post in which I will share a few quotes, thoughts and reflections on various issues in life and ministry. Each post will be fairly brief and…

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