You’ve no doubt heard and read and maybe even researched information about the Asbury Revival last February at Asbury University. It really was quite an event in the history of American Christianity—inspired by God himself and energized by the Holy Spirit. Some people have different takes on what happened. Some call it a revival, others […]

            In Southern California some of the hills and lowlands in Riverside County and northern San Diego County are littered with rocks. Many of them are more than mere rocks. They are actually giant boulders. They seem to be stable. None of them have toppled down in our 23 years in San Diego County. […]

 “Rejoice in hope,” Paul wrote to the Romans (12:12). Yet we watch and listen to the horrific news coming out of Ukraine and wonder how even the many Christians in Ukraine can have any hope. What is there to hope in or hope for? The future for Ukrainians seems bleak if many of them will […]

            God of the Impossible Matt and Carrie were in an impossible situation—or so it seemed. The lender on their home had scheduled a Trustee’s Sale that was now three days away. Foreclosure. Despair. Emptiness. They were semi-retired, but jobs were scarce in the ministry for an aging minister. For two years they had been […]

God Makes Us Happy            Psalm 144:15 closes with these joyful words: “Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!” (NKJV). Some versions read “blessed” instead of “happy,” but the KJV, NKJV, and RSV translate the Greek word (from the Old Testament Septuagint) makarios “happy.” In this verse “happy” is a better translation. And […]

What’s New in Your Life?           I’ve never been too keen on making New Year’s resolutions. I suppose they work for some people. The difficulty, of course, is keeping them even for a few weeks or a few months. The standard joke is that New Year’s resolutions are made to be broken. So if you […]

Christmas Peace—and How to Have It           Every Christmas world leaders urgently call for peace. Church pastors and Christians everywhere—and even people who don’t talk to God much throughout the year—pray earnestly for peace. Who wouldn’t want peace between nations, peace in their country, peace with their neighbors, and peace in their own lives? Especially […]

Don’t Let Fear Ruin Your Life In our world today fear has reached epidemic proportions. And the United States is no stranger to this horrible and sad state of our existence. It starts with politics. The far left wants us to fear the far right with tales of violent extremists ready to pounce on America, […]

                            When Life Gets You Down, Trust Our Faithful God                Carol rushed into my office, her face red and angry, screaming a loud accusation at me before I even had time to utter a prayer. “You said my mother would get better, but she’s gotten worse! If she doesn’t have heart surgery she’s […]