“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)This week, I am beginning an online book study w...  Read More

Today’s post is adapted from the November 15th, 2016 post.“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalm 4...  Read More

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” (Isaiah 6:8)This past Sunday, we sang a gospel song called “Use Me” for the ...  Read More

Today’s post is adapted from the November 9th, 2010 post.I grew up going to church; however, God did not truly become real until I was 18, right at the beginning of college, as the result of attending...  Read More

“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” (James 1:19...  Read More

Today’s post is adapted from the October 10th, 2017 Pulse “And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Luke 22:44)I recently complete...  Read More

“They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.” (Jeremiah 8:11) Last week, I read a lengthy article on the Financial Times website ...  Read More

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)These past two Sundays, we have take...  Read More

“One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your...  Read More

“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you ...  Read More

It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full exten...  Read More

Today’s post is adapted from the July 26th, 2016 post.“I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.” (Mark 9:41...  Read More

“Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.  And if...  Read More

“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58...  Read More

“Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” (James 3:1)I have a fear of public speaking. But it’s not what you think....  Read More

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:39)Last Wednesday was the beginning of Lent, the time of year when Christians around the world ...  Read More

Today's post is adapted from the December 5th, 2017 post.“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-- of whom I am the worst. But for...  Read More

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)There is a dangerous myth floating around our culture that the healthier you are, the more you do not need anyone. In counseling c...  Read More

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18)I am a very fearful person. I often fe...  Read More

Today’s Pulse article is adapted from the March 14th, 2017 post.“Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-- with great patience and careful instruction. ...  Read More

Worry. It’s a word that brings to mind  skipped meals, knotted stomachs, cold sweats and sleepless nights. Worry is a heavy burden to carry. For something that causes our minds and bodies to endure so...  Read More

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. ...  Read More

“If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the...  Read More

“You do not have, because you do not ask God” (James 4:2c)One of my favorite stories of answered prayer from my own life came when I was 23 and the youth pastor of NewLife. Our growing youth group of ...  Read More