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Jim Carey said, “I think everyone should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”I’m reading the little Old Testament book of Amos. He wrote to Israel during the zenith of it’s prosperity and power in the world. But his message was not a positive one.It’s not that Israel’s prosperity was a bad thing. Instead, He seems to indicate that they were blessed with riches and influence in the world. And he promises those wh

No, I’m not talking about Wednesday evening’s Republican primary debate. I think there’s mixed reviews on how good that was.But I am convinced that debates can be and should be healthy.If you are surrounded only be people who always agree with you, then you don’t even know what you really believe. If everyone agrees with you, you’ve never been challenged. It’s not until you have to articulate your views and thought process that leads to those views, before you even know where

Two landscapers were working vigorously in a park. But a casual observer was confused by what he saw. One man was digging a hole, and the other man was filling it up. They were making good time, but what they were doing didn’t seem to make sense. So he asked them about it.“We’re planting trees. I’m digging the hole. He’s filling it in. But the guy who puts the tree in is sick today."You can work really hard and yet accomplish nothing. Right? Most of us have done that to some

You know it’s a problem. You may not want to admit it to your spouse, boss, or siblings. But you are a critic. If there is something negative to be found, you find it. Whatever organization you are part of, work, school, even church, you always seem to know what “they” are doing wrong and you talk like you know better.And the truth is, you don’t really know better. If you were in their shoes, who knows what you’d really do. If you are completely honest with yourself, your "al

This weekend is marathon weekend and dozens of our church members are running. My wife and I ran the last two years and our daughter, Erica, is running this year. We are looking forward to heading downtown to cheer her and other friends on.Linda and I both learned some very valuable lessons the last two years when we ran. I’d like to share them with you here. •  Most of us can do more than what we think. There was a time when conventional wisdom said that very few people on

There are a lot of things that I love about our church.I love the emphasis on accurate and practical Biblical teaching. I love the God-honoring and powerful worship music that is led by musicians who live out their faith. I love the stories of transformed lives I get to witness on almost a weekly basis. I love the family atmosphere––the genuine friendliness and sincere welcome that new people sense when they start attending. But more than anything, I love you…the people.One o

I mentioned to a friend of mine that a person I knew was worth millions.  This friend responded, “You are only worth as much as you give."“A car or a house is only worth what someone is willing to give for it. A person is worth only as much as they give away."How much are you worth?I’ve known a lot of poor people who are worth more than the super rich. You are worth a lot when you give a lot.You see, your value is not based on how talented you are, how smart you are, how many

Some people still say that social media is fading. I’ve heard naysayers claim that kids are no longer using Facebook. They're into Snapchat, Instagram, Tumblr or Twitter. I’ve heard it said, “Your kids aren’t on Facebook anymore, but their grandparents are."Yes, a lot of grandmas are now online, but the kids are as well. It’s not a fading trend. Social media is here to stay, and it will for a long time be the fastest way to get your thoughts, opinions, or latest news into the

It’s one of the most common questions I’m asked in counseling. From the guy floundering in his marriage, the woman struggling with her aging parents, people facing quandaries at work, or relationship issues with extended family, I’m asked all the time, “What does God want me to do?"I can’t always give specific answers. I can usually give Biblical principles that help make decisions and often, there are simple Bible answers. But most of the time, making good decisions flow fro

Isn’t it ironic that we celebrate “Labor Day” by taking the day off work?Actually, the holiday was birthed in the midst of a very necessary labor movement near the end of the nineteenth century. Back then, many Americans worked twelve hour shifts, seven days a week, eking out a barely survivable wage. Despite new laws regulating child labor, thousands of children as young as five and six worked in factories and mines with the fraction of pay that their low income adult counte

I tend to withhold my opinion in the midst of controversy. I wish most people would. If it’s political, I generally have an opinion, but sharing it publicly only detracts from my life’s mission to connect people with God. I don’t want those who would disagree with my opinions on minor issues to keep them from listening to me on the most important ones.But when it comes to life and death, that’s not a small matter.As Christians, sometimes it is the right thing to speak out on

Linda and I dropped off our third and last child for college yesterday. It’s a whole new chapter for us.Some of you enrolled your child in Kindergarten this week. It’s a whole new chapter for you.But for everyone with school age kids, and for every student reading this, it’s also a whole new chapter for you.The school year has begun. And even though New Year's Day is more than four months away, most of us think of the year in terms of the school year. School has begun. What’s