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“I don’t like all that theology. I just want to hear practical preaching.”A woman loudly said that to me years ago, in mixed company. At the time, she appeared to be a Christian. She said she was. She went to church every weekend along with her husband and kids, and was involved in a lot of church events. And she hung out with other church women. But in the years since, she cheated on her husband a few times and divorced him. Her grown kids have rejected the hypocritical fait

I had a big deadline yesterday. And it wasn't the sort of deadline that could be moved. Having it took the fun out of the days before. Finally, as I was uploading my project, 15 minutes before it was due, I breathed a sigh of relief. Then I thought about the enjoyable time I missed out on. The times in the days before with friends and loved ones, where my mind was elsewhere because I had this deadline looming and I wasn’t ready.I was chatting with one of our college students

Mike is a friend of mine, though that’s not really his name. He struggled in school and barely made it through. I’ve never heard anyone accuse him of being very smart. But neither have I ever heard anyone call him a fool. He really is not that gifted with natural intelligence. But the guy is a master and making good decisions and inspiring people. He has a good marriage, good kids, and he runs his own successful small business. He often jokes that if it were not for his booke

I don’t have any tattoos. I sometimes tell people that I have a conviction against them, because I have a conviction against unnecessary pain!And yet, sometimes, I choose pain. I did at the dentist a couple of months ago. I chose short-term pain in order to avoid long-term tooth loss. Every time I workout, I choose pain. You know the saying, “No pain, no gain."When it comes to gaining life’s best, it’s important to sometimes choose pain for the long-term benefits that come ou

Sunday is Mother’s Day. But if the day’s founder, Anna Jarvis, were here, she wouldn’t celebrate it. We know that because, though it was her work and influence that put the special day on the map, and even brought it to National Holiday status, after the commercialization set in, she began to loathe what it became. She openly denounced it, begging people to stop buying cards, flowers, and candy. By the end of her life, she spent all of her personal savings in legal fees lobby

In Matthew 6, Jesus told his followers to fast differently than others. Some wanted attention for their “sacrifice.” They made it obvious and purposefully appeared weak, disheveled, and hungry. Jesus essentially said, “Don’t do that. Clean yourself up, put a smile on your face. Be pleasant and be a blessing to people. Let your sacrifice be between you and God.”That reminds me of a young Bible College student years ago who had taken his first “labor” job at a bicycle factory n

If we could reverse aging and end the inevitability of death, we would. In fact, doing just that is the ultimate dream of science. And this has always been the human quest. From Ponce de León’s search for the Fountain of Youth to modern cryonics, we have sought a way out of this one-way excursion towards death. When Hugo Chavez died a few years ago, he was embalmed and placed on permanent (sort of) display, in a glass sarcophagus, near his presidential palace. Most are famili

Anything we do that matters takes preparation.I have friends who are pilots. I’ve been with them when they’ve flown and have witnessed just some of that preparation. Lives are at stake so the preparation matters. I have a couple of friends who are surgeons. I can’t exactly stomach being with them in the OR, but they have described for me the litany of preparations: even the careful scrubbing, beginning each fingernail, working up to each finger, then hand, wrist, forearm, kee

Self-denial. Delayed gratification. I know, not exactly the best thoughts to draw readers in.How’s this, then? Success! The way to prosperity!But self-denial and delayed gratification are necessary for success or prosperity. There is no success without sacrifice. Yet, self-denial is not easy….hence the word, “denial.” It doesn’t seem to to make sense that the only way to get things is by denying yourself things, but it is. There is no success without sacrifice.A year ago in J

“I’ve tried reading the Bible but I don’t understand it and my mind wanders.”I’ve heard that many, many times. But I’ve also been able to help a lot of people learn to read the Bible to get a lot out of it. King David describes a person of success as one who reads and ponders daily on the Word of God. Most Christians know there is value in reading the Bible, yet few do it consistently. I think mainly because they’ve never learned how.This is a follow-up to last week’s post on

I want to let you in on the most valuable habit in my life. When I get away from it, I struggle emotionally and spiritually. When I’m consistent with it, I’m more efficient, fruitful, and fulfilled. A daily quiet time with God. Maybe you’ve tried it…a few times. And each time you got out of the habit, got discouraged, and quit. But let me encourage you, read this…and give it another shot. Here are the things that help me stay with it. Have a time. If I don’t have my quiet ti

A study in the UK showed that over half of divorced people regret divorcing five years afterward. Another comprehensive study by Linda Waite out of the University of Chicago showed that couples who are close to ending their marriage are far more likely to be happy in the future by toughing it out and staying in it, than by giving up and divorcing. In her study, 80% of couples who said they had unhappy marriages but stayed married, described their marriages five years later as