“I bet people kill themselves because of you. You are terrible at your job.” This statement is a criticism I once received while I was working on a crisis line that helped people who were considering suicide. What prompted the criticism was that the individual called multiple times daily and I was the one designated to give the individual some limits on how often they could call. Over thirty...

Years ago, I came across a powerful quote by John Maxwell: “When you are gonepeople will sum up your life in one sentence, write it now.” One of my favorite summarystatements of a life in scripture is about a man named Caleb in the Old Testament.Numbers 14:24 states, “But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and followsme wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and hi...

     Over the last decade I have been disappointed again and again by various Christian leaders who fell morally in some way.  Clearly some were not really Christians, they were wolves in sheep clothing.  But in my opinion many others are Christians who gave in and fell in some way.  Let’s be honest, temptation is a regular companion for all Christians.  The temptation to be proud, lustful, greedy...

     Today is Father’s Day.  A holiday that reminds us to celebrate the first man to invest in our lives.  I realize many have a father wound because of an absent, broken or even an evil father, but that is not most of us.  Many of us have fathers that we think of and smile.  Many have memories of him coaching your teams, taking you hunting and fishing and teaching you many skills.  I learned a gr...

     What are you afraid of? Many drown in the negativity of our environment.  The news has an old adage that follows, “if it bleeds it leads.”  Bad news seems to permeate the cultural air we breathe.  Our minds can spiral down scary scenarios of “what if. . . “  Often our fears reveal what is most valuable to us.  Our fears can reveal the areas where we least trust the Lord. The last time I was g...