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You’ve tried before. In fact, probably quite a few times. But after a couple of days it always falls by the wayside. How can you get a daily quiet time established and then stick to it? There’s a great lesson in the Christmas story that helps. Mary and Joseph showed up at Bethlehem and tried to get a room, but they couldn’t. The only motel in town was full. How'd that happen? Well of course this was the first century and they didn’t have modern communication available. It’s n

This is no joke. I really thought it was when I first read about it, but its real and these people are sincere. They are planting atheist churches around the world and raising money to do so. People are giving to establish these churches and hundreds are attending. Here’s what the AP reported regarding the “godless church” plant in Los Angeles, "It looked like a typical Sunday morning at any mega-church. Several hundred people, including families with small children, packed i

Every year around this time I get questions from moms and dads asking for my opinion on Santa Claus: “Did you tell your kids there is a Santa?” Some are very adamant: “Santa Claus is a replacement of Jesus in this secularized society and just another way of spreading the materialism of this age.” Others see the fable as harmless delightful fantasy: “I believed in Santa when I was a kid and it didn’t hurt me! It’s just a fun way to give the kids a little magical spark during t

Loneliness is hard. And this is the hardest time of year for being lonely. For some, it’s a temporary period. But for others, it’s been a lifelong trial. God cares about you in this struggle, and he has answers for our problems. If you are lonely, many Bible characters could identify with you. Even Jesus knew the pain of abandonment, rejection, and the feeling of being all alone in the world. You might not be able to change some of the circumstances that have led to this, but

You should skip Thanksgiving this year if you are a grumbler, complainer, or generally negative person. After all, you’ll just be a hypocrite. Why would you celebrate a day that you don't believe in? If your modus operandi is to look for what you think is wrong and voice it, just forget the day. Everyone will be looking at you like, “What’s she dong here?” Now if you are wondering if this post is written for you… just check with a friend or two :-). Seriously, Thanksgiving is

My wife was pretty frustrated while trying to open one of those impossible clear molded plastic packages, “I wonder how many people wind up with stitches from these stupid plastic packages. I’ll bet the emergency room is full of injured people at Christmastime." I didn’t blame her for being frustrated. I avoid buying anything packaged that way if I can help it. I actually pay more for an item when it is in a box or a simple container, rather than having to fight with a heat s

Is Thanksgiving a Christian holiday? That depends on how you celebrate it. There’s nothing Christian about gluttony. While I love football, and a lot of committed Christians will be playing in the traditional Thanksgiving games, there’s nothing Christian about football per se. Just having the day off and getting together with a big group of people will not make the holiday “Christian”.On the other hand, the concept is deeply Christian. The worship book of the ancient Israelit

So in my last post I wrote about the value of meditation. But for some of you, you feel left in the dark. You know what meditation is and that the Bible encourages it, and that it is valuable, but you have no clue how to do it or where to start. I hope this follow-up post helps.My favorite method starts with choosing a portion of Scripture with between a half dozen to a couple dozen verses. The number of verses will determine how many days it will take to study and fully ass

Is Meditation even Christian? Isn't that like a Hindu or Buddhist thing? Meditation in eastern mystical religions focus on emptying the mind. Christian meditation is altogether different. The Bible encourages meditation as a filling of the mind with the Word of God.Joshua instructed God’s people to “meditate day and night” on His Word (Joshua 1:8). Psalm 1 tells us that the wise man meditates on God’s Word day and night. David prayed in Psalm 19:14, “May the meditation of my

Nothing short of heartbreaking.  10,000 lives lost…at the time of this writing. Heartbreaking.Then we ask, “Where is God in this?”As a Christian, I believe that God is sovereign. That means that he is in control. He is in charge. Jesus reassured us that even a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without our Heavenly Father caring about it. So what about this typhoon, the human suffering, the children? Does God care more about a sparrow learning to fly than he does people?Jesus

I’m being asked a lot of questions regarding  the change in Illinois law allowing for same-sex marriage.  Some are wondering if the Bible says anything about the subject, and if so, what. Others are expressing their concern for the disintegration of traditional marriage. Some are upset that the church is not doing enough to preserve Biblical marriage in America.“What is your position?” or, “Why aren’t we talking about this as a church?” are some of the questions I am getting

Have you ever felt totally out of place, unsure of where you were at, and less sure about where you were going and how you would get there?I’m writing this while on a plane heading to Paris. It was a sudden opportunity for a free, albeit quick, turnaround trip to a place I have never been, so I’m taking advantage of it. My wife is a flight attendant and when she was suddenly awarded this trip with a long enough layover to do some sight-seeing, I quickly rearranged my schedule