Focal Passage: Matthew 7:13-23  There are some scary words we hear in life, “license and registration (cops)” … “I’m calling about your latest tax return (IRS)” … “I’m sorry, our ice cream machine is down (McDonalds, always).”  Warning: that will be the last humorous part of this article. What will be discussed from here on out is the most serious subject we can consider, eternal destiny. We must be sobered

Focal Passage: Job 30:26-31, 42:1-6  I am writing this article right after visiting a precious church member who seems to be nearing the end of a years-long battle with cancer. It wasn’t too long ago that I sat with this lady and discussed the next steps of her treatment confident that it would be effective.  In the same room, in place of a comfy chair, she now inhabits a hospital

Focal Passage: John 10:22-26, 14:8-14  I wonder to myself sometimes, “Why doesn’t God (insert miracle) to show that He is real, powerful, and loving.” Perhaps you have thought something similar? Then I’m reminded that there were people that were with Jesus, people who saw His power and heard His teaching firsthand who still rejected him.  We can see this dynamic most profoundly in the Pharisees. Have you ever noticed how

Focal Passage: John 3:19-21, 8:31-36  President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863. Part of this document reads, “All persons held as slaves are, and henceforth, shall be free.” The opposing perspectives on slavery between the north and south is, in part, what led to the southern states to secede from the Union and a bloody, brutal war to break out.  Until the end of the Civil

Focal Passage: Daniel 10:1-3, 10-13, 16-19  The term “prepare for battle” steers my imagination toward the greatest movie franchise of all time, “The Lord of the Rings.” There is a particular scene in the second movie, “The Two Towers,” where the people have taken refuge in a fortress as an enormous, mighty, evil army bears down upon them.  On the eve of battle the fighting force that receives their weapons

Focal Passage: Daniel 9:3-10, 17-19  God did not destroy the world in the days of Noah because the people were sinful. Genesis 6:5 says, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”  God destroyed the world because the people were only sinful. Everyone sins, including Noah. Noah was spared by God

Focal Passage: Daniel 6:6-13, 16-17, 21-23  The word “courage” occurs 24 times in the Bible (ESV). Fourteen times the words “took, take, or found” are used in conjunction with “courage.” Daniel’s act of courage was remaining faithful to God in prayer even though he knew that it was going to cost him something.  While the cost for us isn’t the same as some other Christians across the world, it is

Focal Passage: Daniel 5:13-17, 22-28  “Know your why.” If you’ve ever read a book on leadership or attended a conference on organizational effectiveness you have probably heard that statement. Leadership teachers use this terminology to emphasize the importance of a company knowing and remaining true to its purpose. I believe that knowing your why is imperative for an individual’s success in another area, speaking the truth with boldness. Daniel was

Focal Passage: Daniel 2:13-23, 27-28a  Your sentence is death. You’ve just learned that you are to be executed for a crime you didn’t commit. How would you respond?  I’ll speak for both of us … we would rant and rave about the injustice. We’d post about the insane official who is threatening our lives, we would call our congressman, we’d start a GoFundMe for attorney’s fees as we gear up

Focal Passage: Daniel 1:3-13, 17-19  I love quoting Charles Spurgeon when I preach. He had a way of taking deep theological truths and communicating them with profound simplicity.  Let me provide his perspective on circumstances and I think you’ll agree. He said, “Had any other condition been better for you than the one in which you are, divine love would have put you there.” By this statement we learn that