St. Augustine and I Share a Common Lust
I share a lust with St. Augustine. Although he was a pillar of the church, he regularly prayed, “O Lord, deliver me from this lust of always vindicating myself.” We all inherited this lust from our original parents, who invented the art of excusing sin and justifying ourselves by blaming others (Gen. 3:9-13). I have […]
Seven Benefits of a Smile
My daughter, Megan, was eighteen months old when she decided to test her smile on an angry looking biker. Just before a vacation in Jackson, Wyoming, she had learned what a fun response she could get from adults when she beamed a big smile and gave them an enthusiastic, “Hi!” Whether we were sitting in […]
Gentle Shepherding for a Pregnant Teen
Tom called me for advice on how to deal with an 18-year-old church member, Tina, who was pregnant out of wedlock (names changed). Half of his elder board thought Tina should appear before them to confess her sin and demonstrate repentance. The other half did not want to see her shamed and suggested that she […]
The Golden Result
We all know the Golden Rule: “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” But do you know the Golden Result? It’s a direct corollary to the Golden Rule: “Other people will usually treat you the way you treat them.” Not always, but usually. Because that’s how God made us. I’ve seen this […]
Political Strife Is an Opportunity
Our country is currently embroiled in a time of intense political and cultural conflict, which is so painfully revealed in the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk. Each of us is can play one of three roles as we respond to these events. We can add fuel to the fire through harsh and judgmental words. We […]
Reputation vs Character
Jeff’s reputation was being trashed by people in his own church. He was respected throughout the city for his outstanding Sunday school classes, which had drawn hundreds of people to his church. But then he got caught in the middle of a congregational battle over the senior pastor. A group of members had become increasingly […]
Don’t Overlook Every Offense
A lot of leaders are being abruptly removed from their posts these days. Pastors, seminary presidents, ministry and business CEOs. In many cases, they were fired without warning. One day things seemed to be going along just fine, and then suddenly they were told that “the deacons (or elders, trustees, or directors) met yesterday and […]
Are You Velcro or Teflon?
Kelly can be one of the best friends in the world. She’s thoughtful, caring, and always eager to encourage and serve others. The people in her Bible study and small group always look forward to seeing her, and her coworkers think she is one of the most pleasant people they’d ever known. But there is […]
Penetrating Barriers with the Gospel
Megan had switched on a force field that put the Starship Enterprise to shame.
It had been another one of our difficult home-schooling days.
Three Steps to Building Relational Passports
I have dozens of passports, and I need to renew them constantly. No, I’m not James Bond or Jason Bourne. I don’t fly from country to country using alternative identities to evade the NSA, CIA, or MI6. I just love people. I enjoy meeting, understanding, encouraging and helping them. And for that I need a […]