ARTICLES

Dear Jeff,   How am I supposed to relate to a God I can't fully explain? I feel like my confusion gets in the way of my faith.   Sincerely, Jamie Hi Jamie, That question lingers like a stone in your shoe—the kind you can't ignore, no matter how much you want to, because it gets right to the heart of something we all experience. It takes me back to a morning years ago on the Oregon coast with my kids. I remember the cool, damp air and the sand between my toes as I watched them

RENEWED – Week 2 (A New Heart) Ezekiel 11:19, 36:22-27, Philippians 1:6 INTRODUCTION: RENEWED Series – Week 2 - Last week – through Isaiah, God is making ALL THINGS NEW! - What’s next is better, and it begins in me! Many of you are joining us today, and not only are you unsure about what you believe about God, you may have no idea how he impacts our lives. This conversation is for you too. We're going to unpack a simple, yet the life-changing way that God can make a differenc

“That isn’t a toy!” parents warn a child playing with a knife or a hammer. Pharaoh thought he could play a game with God and win. He lost. Your heart is not a toy. The story of God’s battle with Pharaoh in the book of Exodus is the story of the consequences of a hardened heart. It’s the story of someone who thought they could toy with God and with their heart. We cannot. In the first five plagues, Pharaoh’s hardens his heart three times and his heart “is hardened” (it’s ambig

As I’ve considered my last year of life and ministry, I look ahead to what is to come. At this stage of my life I know there are fewer days ahead of me than there are behind. I want my life to count for something. So in the last few years I’ve done something to deepen my spiritual life and make me more effective in my ministry and witness. I’ve increased my time in scripture and in prayer. As I’ve done this it has occurred to me that I’ve never met a person who regretted spen

Just as the Minaret calls the Muslim to prayer, so too Allah is calling Muslims to consider the truth of His revelation found in the Injeel. Do you sometimes wonder if you will really enjoy eternal paradise? Do you know without a doubt that you will be in paradise? You can know without a doubt! What became of the Injeel? What relationship do other early writings about Isa have with the Quran? Where is the real Injeel? The path of Islam is revealed in the Quran as being the fi

When my children were growing up one of their favorite meals was steak. I would buy steaks when they went on sale and then freeze them until we needed them for a special occasion. When they were real small I had to cut up their steaks for them to eat, but as they aged I learned I could trust them with a steak knife to cut their own steak without hurting themselves, or their neighbor. Finally, after they were much older they wanted me to teach them what was in my overnight mar

Refusing to be offended – Matthew 15:21-28 Once I went on a mission trip to Pakistan, and when we arrived our missionary host sat us down for a quick cultural orientation. Ironically, most of his instructions were aimed at me, the woman in the group. I was asked to dress in the traditional Pakistani clothes which was fine with me. The kameez is a long tunic top and the shalwar is the draw-string baggy trousers worn underneath the kameez. At least I didn’t have to wear a burka

Where would the bread come from? Jacob heard his grandchildren’s whimpers as they rustled in the neighboring tents. He knew tears were running down their faces as their tiny empty bellies cried out. Where would the next meal come from? The drought had devastated the crop. Travelers from the North had spent the night. They carried bags of grain and shared news that the Pharaoh had storehouses of grain. They had met with his right-hand man, Zaphenath-paneah. Seven years earlier

Options for church unity are wider than we admit. After all, unity does not require uniformity. But if it’s true that unity does not require uniformity, what do we do when we find we are not uniform in belief and practice? And if the areas of difference are important rather than superficial, how do we keep that lack of uniformity from threatening or resulting in disunity? It seems to me these are the questions the church now faces and has been facing for a while. In congregat

There are people who reason,  If I give generously, I’ll have to worry about where the money will come from to replace what I’ve given.  But Jesus teaches that generous giving isn’t a cause for insecurity and worry. It’s a cure for it. Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gat

One of the most frequent questions I’ve been asked about Heaven over the years is about the nature of marriage there. As I share in my book Heaven, there will be one marriage in Heaven, not many. That marriage will be what earthly marriage symbolized and pointed to, the marriage of Christ to His bride. So we will all be married—but to Christ. Our marriage to Him is the true Marriage, of which the best of earthly marriages was a symbol and shadow. Those who did not experience

The entire physical universe was created for God’s glory. When we rebelled, the universe fell under the weight of our sin. Yet God did not give up on us. The serpent’s seduction of Adam and Eve did not catch God by surprise. He had in place a plan by which He would redeem mankind—and all creation—from sin, corruption, and death. Just as He promises to make men and women new, He promises to renew the earth itself. “‘As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure

Feelings matter. Even if we are certain that truth is firmly in our grasp, it isn’t appropriate to use it like a whip on the back of the skeptic. In a desire to restore the balance of perceived power, contemporary Western culture has offered a wider berth for those who have historically wielded less power. Our culture declares that our privilege determines whether or not we are allowed to share “our truth.” Intersectionality doles out chips based on a group’s power. Those who

During my recent ministry trips to Arizona and New Mexico, many people attending my speaking events have heard me talk about why I believe the Great Commission could be fulfilled in our lifetime, or at least within two generations. I routinely cite evidence from around the world that reveals a trend of great growth of the Gospel in a variety of countries. But one of the central questions people have is why American Christianity is in decline compared to the rest of the world.

What’s the perfect size for a church? 50? 500? 5000? You could make the argument for why each of these church sizes is optimal. At the church of fifty, you will have an intimate relationship with your pastor. You might be in the same small group, he will be there for your child’s graduation, and when you come to a worship service, you’ll probably know everyone (except that one new family) by name. You’re going to be able to step into leadership roles and shape the direction o

It is estimated that around  one in twelve children struggle with depression  at some point between the ages 9 and 16, with girls more likely to be affected than boys. Unfortunately, depression is a common childhood challenge that often goes unnoticed by adults, including parents, teachers, and pediatricians. This means that a lot of children are entering into adulthood with unmet needs, and feel that they have to cope with the challenges they face alone. Childhood depression

Matthew 13:24-30 , 36-43 . Once I was driving children home after church and as I was asking them about their morning, they volunteered this insightful information. “Did you know that not every kid at church knows how to worship?” That day my car full of little kids couldn’t wait to tattle on the children that don’t stand for worship or even try to sing the songs in Sunday School. They thought their revelation would shock me, but their words actually made me very sad. Listeni

Author Randy Alcorn pays tribute to a true hero-Olympian and missionary Eric Liddell. This is the 100th anniversary of Eric Liddell winning the gold medal in the men’s 400m. He won it on July 11, 1924, but in this year‘s Olympics that event final is scheduled for August 7. And it is in Paris exactly as it was in 1924!Today’s blog is the repost of one I first shared about Eric in 2018, with the addition of a few paragraphs and some tweaks here and there. If ever we were going

"Here are 7 Early Warning Signs of a Hardened Heart: 1. You don’t really celebrate, and you don’t really cry. A hard heart is a flat heart. Not much gets in. Joy doesn’t. Sadness doesn’t. While you don’t want to be unstable or imbalanced, it’s normal and healthy to experience the ups and downs of life and leadership. 2. You fake your emotions. Truthfully, we’ve all done this in seasons. And sometimes you need to. When you’re the leader, you ‘have’ to lead in the public eye, a

Anxiety disorders are the number one mental health problem of the world; so fear is a very serious issue that we’re dealing with. Fear of anything other than God is mutually exclusive to faith in God. That’s how important it is. Fear is a powerful motivator—for both good and evil. We’re going to culminate this with some real steps you can take to overcome some of the irrational phobias that have developed from childhood. Fear has to have an object. We categorize fear by its