A Known Commodity
“I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” 2 Timothy 1:12My new ministry was at a large, sophisticated church just outside of...
View ArticleWake Him Up!
“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16Elouise worked the cash register in the food court at...
View ArticleDrumroll, Please . . .
“I will bless those who bless you, . . . and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Genesis 12:3There are some moments in Scripture that I would have choreographed a little differently if...
View ArticleOut Of Proportion
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Psalm 111:10I’ll never forget the time I had my picture taken with Shaquille O’Neal, one of the giants of professional basketball. I never thought of...
View ArticleThud!
“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8Interesting, isn’t it, how some childhood experiences are permanently...
View ArticleThe Life God Loves To Partner With Part 2
Are you going to compete with God’s plan, or converge with it? We all reach points in our life when we have to choose whether we’ll follow God’s plan, or our own. In today’s teaching on the book of...
View ArticleThank God for Mothers!
“I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also” 2 Timothy 1:5It was Sunday morning and her...
View ArticleGod’s Presence At Church
"Walk worthy of the Lord." Colossians 1:10I love reading church slogans. You know, the ones you see on the marquee in front of churches. Recently I noticed a slogan that said, “Come in and experience...
View ArticleReborn Identity
"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17One of my favorite movies is The Bourne Identity. The main character,...
View ArticleAn Eclipse of Heaven
“The city [heaven] does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” Revelation 21:23Solar eclipses are an amazing phenomenon. As the...
View ArticleA Parent’s Pain
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:10I’ll never forget meeting Nathan and Connie. With five sons, they loved the...
View ArticleUnder Pressure
“You know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” James 1:3When our kids were growing up, we loved having picnics in the backyard. No picnic was complete without a plate full of big,...
View ArticleWhose Side Are You On?
“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God” James 4:4Ever been caught in the...
View ArticleThe Life God Loves To Partner With Part 3
Discover five habits of a heart that converges with God’s eternal plan. In his ongoing series on Ruth: Love Unshaken, Joe Stowell turns to Ruth 2 and continues looking at the lives of Ruth and Boaz,...
View ArticleFinal Exam
“God tested Abraham.” Genesis 22:1In universities everywhere, mid-May brings late-night study sessions, caffeine-fueled writing binges, and ulcer-inducing stress as students are preparing for final...
View ArticleFull Pockets
"God . . . has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." Ephesians 1:3Every man needs pockets large enough to carry all the important things in life: wallet, keys,...
View ArticleHearing The Sermon Again
"From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" Matthew 4:17A story is told about a man who preached an impressive sermon, seeking to be the pastor of...
View ArticleDisappointing Sideshows
"For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world." 1 John 2:16When I was a boy, one of...
View ArticleGetting Along
“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:3I’m guessing that even astronomical gas prices won’t stop many parents from packing up the car and taking the...
View ArticleSecret Storage
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23One of the New Year’s resolutions that I have managed to keep is my plan to clean out the two storage rooms in our...
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