The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). God didn’t give Abram (later to be called Abraham) a detailed map
Dear friend, today we gather to reflect on a powerful truth: that Jesus can take the rubble of our lives—the trials, the heartaches, the disappointments, the setbacks, the unforseen circumstances and stuff that just ain’t right—and transform them into a
We’ve all faced one. Expecting our desired result, we’ve grasped the handle of the highly anticipated door to our dreams and turned it. Expecting we’d hear the click of release, yet the latch stayed silent and we bumped against an
Do you ever feel as though God is asleep, as though He is not paying attention? It can be disheartening when someone falls asleep when you need them. Some people can sleep through anything. People fall asleep, but God never
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.” Luke
Researchers say a baby’s sight is the last sense to develop. However, even before they can focus, newborns look toward faces. Studies show that infants also begin to read faces when they are very young. They feel positive vibes from
Have you ever been so thirsty that you could hardly bear it? The kind of thirst where your throat feels dried up, you can hardly swallow, and your tongue sticks to the roof of your mouth that you’re just so
You know the paralyzing fear that surfaces when the information is too much to learn, the change is too great to make, the grief is too deep to survive, or the crowd is too numerous to feed. “Here is a
Dear friend, we know life can be difficult. We know the toll it takes when you’ve prayed, believed, and stepped out in faith, yet the circumstances around you remain unchanged. You have faithfully given your time, your money, your service,
Dear Roger, What’s the best advice you ever gave to your congregation to help them through the New Year? Sincerely, Phil Dear Phil, I don’t suppose that I can pick the best advice I gave over four decades of New
In the midst of suffering and heartache, it is hard to imagine that one will come out better on the other side. Suffering, like many things in life, has dichotomous power: power to enslave and power to liberate; the power
Dear friend, Your circumstances are not the measure of Jesus’s faithfulness. The devil is a liar, and he would love nothing more than for you to Read More »
Do you ever feel like you’re stuck in a cycle of old problems that never seem to go away? Maybe you’ve tried different solutions, but nothing Read More »
Terrorists terrify us. But from an eternal perspective, they may touch the body, but they can never touch the soul. “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of Read More »
The first time I saw the power of prayer firsthand, I was at church one evening helping to prepare for an upcoming ladies conference with women Read More »