I received another good question this week.  This question is particularly timely considering the news that Arizona executed a man last week by lethal injection.  The two hours it took for the man to die has caused a lot of argument, finger-pointing, and rethinking of the death penalty. The question...

I encouraged our members to submit questions, and this excellent-but-tough question came in anonymously, “Why do believers endure constant pain?” Before I answer, let me share my sympathy and my prayers with this anonymous person in pain.  And then let me add that this is not an easy question to...

In my sermon series on “Questions:  A Study of 1 Thessalonians,” I encouraged our members to submit Biblical questions to me.  The first question I received was a good one. The question was worded, “We pick and choose sections from the Bible to live by (i.e. we don’t follow Leviticus)....

I am not a politician, just a believer who has many deeply held political beliefs based on my faith in Jesus and my love for my country.  Most of the time, I keep my political beliefs quiet, because I am much more interested in sharing my faith in Jesus than...

Fellowship. It’s a word used predominately in church life to describe friendship—except that it’s more than friendship.  It’s describes something like the close bonds you get in a great family—except it’s not based on a biological relationship.  It’s a sense of common purpose that happens (too rarely) on a great...

Years ago, when everyone went to church, you didn’t need much of a strategy for reaching people.  Everyone already came to church, so the strategy was not much more than (1) call a good preacher and (2) start good Sunday School classes.  Then the people would hear and respond to...

It’s old-fashioned.  Most people wouldn’t consider it exciting.  We don’t serve food.  The chairs aren’t the softest.  The music is old-style, right out of the hymnal, with only piano accompaniment. Interested in attending? I’m talking about our Wednesday evening prayer meeting.  We don’t put a lot of advance effort into...

It’s not unusual for me to set goals.  I set them all the time.  They help me think through what I should be accomplishing.  They help me know where I’m going.  And they help me devise strategies to meet those goals. But this goal is a little unusual. My goal...

Some people think I’m just cheap, and after you read this blog, you might agree with them. However, I think of it differently.  I’ve learned to be content without constantly buying new things.  I had to learn to do without in my early-married years when Dawn and I both worked...

Common courtesy is no longer common. We were taught it. Or at least I was. I was taught to treat people—all people—with a basic level of respect. They didn’t have to earn it, because it wasn’t about them. It was about me and my character. Common courtesy was to be...