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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."

Some people still say that social media is fading. I’ve heard naysayers claim that kids are no longer using Facebook.

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

C.S. Lewis said, "Every one says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive."Yup. We all believe in forgiveness. When we hear about the ills of resentment and the damage to self that bitterness causes, we nod in agreement. We know that the alternative to forgiveness is really bad.But most of us struggle to really forgive.Come on, be honest. Who have you not forgiven?Who do you have imaginary conversations with? You know, when you can manufacture in you

There’s been a lot said in Christian blogs and magazines recently about the drop in church attendance in America. There has a been a very slight drop in the percentage of people who attend on a regular basis. But the biggest drop nationally is in the frequency of attenders––25% less. In other words, people who would have attended every week a generation ago, attend three out of four weeks today. People who attended three out of four, attend half the time today. How often did

Well, we finally have some heat. My A/C at home worked so hard this last week that it started icing up. We are in that time of summer––the “Dog Days of Summer."The term is actually of ancient Greek origin. During this hottest and most humid time of summer, the star Sirius becomes prominent. Since that star is “Orion’s dog” in astronomy/astrology, this hot muggy season became known as the dog days of summer almost 3,000 years ago.But it is associated with some other things. In