A couple of weeks ago, I received an email that said, "I need to confront you." That friend was the third person to confront me within seven days. All of them about different things. Who enjoys being confronted or criticized? I certainly do not and I'm guessing you don't either. Yet confrontation and criticism happen almost daily. Brothers and sisters criticize each other....

If you are a nominally keen observer, you could take a look at my house right now and draw some pretty fair conclusions about me. With a discerning eye, you would see a pile of children's garments that have been washed, dried and folded but just didn't make it to the drawer or closet in which they reside. You would see a fence that is ninety-percent complete but with two p...

I've mentioned recently in a daily devotion video that my wife, Jess has decided to read the entire bible and is doing so using the help of Bible Project videos in the ReadScripture app and a podcast called The Bible Recap. If you have always wanted to read the bible in its entirety but the task seemed daunting, perhaps these resources could help you too. She has plowed t...

In a recent video devotional (Daily Milk, April 14, 2020), I encouraged us all to read more as we shelter at home. So, I thought I would discuss some books that I believe are very much worth your time. 1. STUDY BIBLES Of course, I start with the Bible, but not just any Biblea study Bible. Understanding the Bible is a lifelong venture that requires time in the Word and le...

A close friend of mine, who pastors in a large southern city, is grieving. One of his associate pastors died suddenly after only a week and a half battle with the coronavirus. The grief of that entire church is compounded because they aren't even able to gather and grieve at a funeral. Grief is obvious and expected when we lose someone we love. While the pandemic has peop...

Of all the world religions, I am convinced that Christianity alone addresses in a helpful manner both the causes of suffering in this world and its resolution. But, in times of significant sufferingwhether natural disasters or pandemicsChristians have not been of one voice in their response. Some say,"This is the will of God."Others disagree. One prominent evangelical pas...

I was afraid and quarantined once before. As a sophomore in high school in Brownsville, TX in the mid 80's, typing class was required. Yes, we used actual typewriters (like the one used by Ron Swanson)! Little did I know when class started that it would turn out to be ground zero for a disease outbreak in our city. I had the honor of being the second person diagnosed with...

It was a great idea. It was a godly idea. It was a community building idea. Why wasn't it working? Why were there so many roadblocks? We were convinced the problem was spiritual warfare. The evil one must have been trying to discourage us from doing what God wanted. When I was pastoring at another downtown congregation, we believed God was calling the church to share lif...