The Reality of Our Present World

Been telling instead of teaching?Hearing instead of listening?Condemning instead of understanding?Misinterpreting certainty for self-confidence? Me? Guilty. I’ve always thought the best teachers were the ones who were most understood. I love to teach, I love to share wisdom, I love being a parent. But I have to watch it. Sometimes I talk AT people instead of teaching people, act ALL KNOWING instead of wise, and GIVE ADVICE to my children instead of actually listening…

In a recent Gallup poll, it appears that Christmas is becoming a more secular season. I think we knew that without a poll though. Here’s what they’re saying: The 90% celebrating Christmas contrasts with the 68% of Americans who report identifying with a Christian faith, indicating other faiths partake in the holiday. Christmas also spans all major demographic lines and acts as a cultural bridge across political divides. The Data: While the majority of Americans…

If forced to sum it up in one word – despair. I felt a lack of hope, a heaviness of heart. All week it’s been a battle for my mind – wondering if I really am making a difference in a world cruel to even the most seasoned Christ-follower. Wondering if I had lost a step like a fog was hovering over my brain, struggling to remember details, to get the words “right”. Whatever that means. I made a decision to follow Jesus at the ripe old age of 9. That&rsquo…

Someone once said, “The final proof of greatness lies in being able to endure criticism without resentment.” Perhaps. But I also have a mentor who often says, “Never take unsolicited advice.” Does it have to be one or the other? Or can it be both? I’ll let you decide. Recently, I came across several opinion pieces written years ago criticizing a particular individual—his ministry, books, and interpretation and application of parts of.…

Someone once said, “The final proof of greatness lies in being able to endure criticism without resentment.” Perhaps. But I also have a mentor who often says, “Never take unsolicited advice.” Does it have to be one or the other? Or can it be both? I’ll let you decide. Recently, I came across a couple of opinion pieces written years ago criticizing a particular individual—his ministry, his books, and his interpretations of Scripture. The…

When I was a child, I would often have visions and dreams and at times, believe I could hear God's voice inside of me directing my path. But as I grew older, I fell prisoner to the belief that God no longer speaks to us directly unless we are possessed or mentally ill. And so, I denied my experience for years. In my early 30s, I became dissatisfied with serving such a distant God when the bible was full of instances of God walking and talking with his people. So, I…

Last month, our dear friends invited us to join them during their vacation at a house they rented on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It was awesome. The weather was mixed, but the company was amazing. I had vacationed there as a kid and young adult for countless years. I also invested considerably in real estate up and down the OBX in the mid-to-late ’80s. It was a crazy time in real estate, but it was capped off by a recession brought on by a savings and loan…

One of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed was during the time I was working at a rescue mission. An event was planned at our city's convention center, which brought in some top-tier international speakers from the Christian community. As I was sitting in our customary Monday morning leadership team meeting, one of the speakers dropped by our mission and made a donation. This person ran a ministry in the poorest country in the world where they fed 50,000…

On Sunday our Pastor tackled a difficult subject. Here’s how he put it. Who do you trust? Another contentious election season is upon us, and there will be a flurry of ads, debates, signs, billboards, commercials, and non-stop news coverage. Some of us will retreat, while others will fight. Many will experience anxiety, stress, and even fear. It’s a topic we must discuss as the body of Christ. Should we dig in and express ourselves in a way that brings clarity…