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The first time I flew commercially I was twelve years old. It was exciting to me, but when we hit turbulence and the plane started bopping up and down, my excitement quickly morphed into fear. We had flown to my Grandpa’s funeral and when it was time to board again to go home, I wasn’t sure I wanted to. My dad reassured me by explaining how the turbulence was simply varying low and high pressure air pockets and that it was perfectly normal. He said that the plane was built to

If you are not familiar with Helen Keller’s story, I would encourage you to read her biography. You’ll find that the real hero in her life was Anne Sullivan, a forerunner of special education and a remarkable woman who gave life to Helen and inspiration to millions in her generation. Anne was the one teacher who was able to get through to Helen’s intellect and introduce to this deaf and blind woman the powerful concepts of words and language. Helen became a household name whe

I did a lot of fishing as a kid. My dad started me off at a very young age. I still remember how after my sister had caught a blue gill, I exclaimed, “Hey Dad, throw one in for me now!” I was only four and thought that dad must have had something to do with the fish getting on that hook.From my dad’s love of the outdoors and the water in particular, I began to pick up the hobby as my own. A friend and I used to get up before dark and ride our bikes to the river in early summe

A lot has already been said in the media about the mom in Baltimore who saw her son on TV throwing rocks at cops in Baltimore, and then went and removed him from the situation, smacking him along the way.While I applaud her for removing him from the situation, I have a different nominee for Mother of the Year.How about the mother of the boy above, who was photographed handing out cold water to police officers who were dressed in riot gear standing guard in the hot sun? The pi

A conference speaker asked a volunteer from the audience: “If I were to place an I-beam across the floor, would you walk across it for $20?”“Sure!” the volunteer replied eagerly.“What if that I-Beam were suspended between two tall buildings, forty stories in the air?” She shook her head, “No.”“Ok,”  said the speaker, “Suppose the I-beam is forty stories in the air, but this time, you are on one building and I am on the other. If I were to be holding one of your kids, and thre

Self-denial. Delayed gratification.I know, not exactly the best thoughts to draw readers in.How’s this, then? Success! The way to prosperity!Trouble is, most people think the two concepts are diametrically opposed to one another: self-denial and success. And that’s why success is a fleeting prospect for so many people. In reality, the two are inseparable. There is no success without sacrifice….in any aspect of life! Many people never succeed in areas of life that matter to th

This post is a continuation from the earlier post, “Questions On Prayer.” Following our series, “Conversations”, we had a q & A in the last session and were not able to respond to many, many good questions. I’ve compiled them by subject, and hopefully between previous post, this post, and the next, we can cover most of the questions. What is an “answer” to prayer?  Jesus did say, “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened,” and

No doubt, this is the most important holiday in the Christian calendar.Maybe that’s why you’re in church today. Not so much because you believe it, but it is Easter. You’re supposed to go to church on Easter.And it’s a family thing. Mom or Dad wanted you to go. Maybe it’s Grandma and Grandpa all the way down to you and a bunch of cousins.So for you, church is a family or social thing. It’s Easter!But do you believe it? Do you believe that a crucified man came back from the de

Last week, we wrapped up our series on prayer with a Q & A. Many of you sent texts in with questions and we answered as many as we could. But in each service, we were overwhelmed by the number of questions and could only get to about 10% of them. So I promised to answer as many as possible in this blog. I’ve tried to put them into categories so you may not recognize your specific question, but one that is similar to yours. How can I know if I’m praying according to God’s will

Next weekend I turn fifty-four. My attitude is that it’s just another year closer to heaven.But the trouble is…I still think of myself as being twenty-four. I got up this morning and when I looked in the mirror, I startled myself, thinking, “My dad? Am I looking at my dad?"Aging has never bothered my. When I was in my twenties I wanted my hair to go gray prematurely, because I looked so young I felt like I’d never get the respect I needed for ministry leadership. It didn’t go

Nora Grace, my second grandchild, was born Thursday morning. My reaction to the first picture Junior sent us was, “She looks like Brock!” But then, Brock and Junior are brothers. Junior texted us saying that she has Nicole’s chin and lips. And then my wife Linda responded, “But she has her father’s eyes."She has her father’s eyes. It reminded me of a song that Gary Chapman wrote for Amy Grant back in the 80’s, “Father’s Eyes.” I may not be every mother's dream for her little

Most Christians I know struggle with how to share their faith. But DON’T stop reading this!This is something that will revolutionize your opportunities to show that Christ is real in your life. Read what prison-bound Paul says at a time you’d think he’d be complaining up a storm. Listen to how he tells the Philippians that they can be shining lights for Jesus: “Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultles