Our enemy is at work…even at Christmastime.  If he can’t keep us from celebrating the coming of Jesus, he’ll settle for our keeping it all to ourselves. But Jesus wants us to give Christmas away. The vast majority of people in our community are celebrating Christmas in one form or another. The apostle Paul told us to make the most of every opportunity—Christmas is…

When Debbie and I were younger parents, we often looked for ways to expose our kids to the bigger picture of what God is doing in the world. Part of the problem for us was our location…we live in an area where most everything we need is at our fingertips. While you might think that living with such convenience would generate thankful hearts and a desire to serve the…

A recent study showed that mobile phone users spend 4 hours a day on their phones. If you’re like me, I bet you’ve caught yourself cycling through the same 4-5 apps throughout the day, anticipating the discovery of something new. Some have suggested we’re training our brains to actually need constant stimulation, reducing our ability to listen well and be present in the…

Waking up this morning to the new report of a gunman murdering 12 at a California bar was like a punch in the stomach or rather, another punch in the stomach. Just last week a gunman opened fire on a yoga class in Florida, killing two. I have to be honest that my initial, visceral response is to…

I’ve never been a big fan of Halloween, but I’m a huge fan of loving my neighbors with the love of Jesus…and guess where all my neighbors will be on October 31?…in the neighborhood trick or treating with their kids. So guess where I’ll be?… I’m buying the best candy—not that generic stuff—and lots of it. The kids are going to be begging to come to my…

Everything that’s really good always has a key ingredient, that thing that sets it apart from other contenders. For example, my mom makes some powerfully good chocolate chip cookies we call LMC’s—our acronym for Lois Marie’s Cookies. She might say the secret ingredient is “a mother’s love,” but the whole family knows she puts in about three times the amount of…

Our spiritual enemy pretty much has one trick. It’s the scheme he used on Adam and Eve. He lies. It’s the only weapon in his arsenal and he uses it over and over. He tries the same approach with us. Here’s an example…One of his favorite lies is especially suited for when we fall short in obeying God’s best for us. Satan loves to magnify our failure, telling us how…

     Guys (or women who read this for their husbands), our Awesome Annual Men’s Retreat is coming Oct. 26-28. You’ve got to come to this. Every year this weekend gets bigger and better. Every year disconnected men make friends that spur them on for years to come. Every year we see men have breakthroughs and powerful spiritual encounters that change the course of…

      At one time or another in your life, I bet you made a commitment to yourself that when the summer ended you were going to get reconnected to a church. Maybe you made the commitment this summer. (Awesome!)       Lots of people do this and that’s why churches all over our city always experience an increase in attendance at their Sunday gatherings in…