Holy Spirit: When & Why I Changed My Views
Some of you are familiar with my testimony as it pertains to my theological shift in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s regarding the person and work of the Holy Spirit. I learned so much incredible theology from those who poured into my life after I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord in 1994. As…
The Salted Slug in the Church
“No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” – Luke 13:3 Jesus wrapped volcanic words like those above in a blanket of love, sensing no inner conflict when doing so. God’s Son did not give a preface or disclaimer to what He was going to say. He just stated the…
3 Holy Spirit Gifts We Must Pursue
For many years I did not believe in the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. In those days, when I read First Corinthians, chapters 12-14, I understood those references to things like prophecy, miracles, healings, and tongues as being gifts to the historical church that no longer had present day availability to Christians. Around 1999,…
The Trickle Before the Torrent
The longer you are an active participant in the Kingdom of God, the more your citizenship allows you to see. To be a Christian is far deeper than asking Jesus into your life, being water baptized, joining a church, behaving morally and learning theology. While all of these things are good, they also can serve…
About God’s Timing
“When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” – Galatians 4:4-5 What a remarkable thought: there was a fullness of time that God had ordained into which He would…
Un-Muting the Prophets
“…then they will know that a prophet has been among them.” – Ezekiel 33:3 Our generation is in dire need of the ministry of the prophets. These unique individuals are seen in Scripture to be those who, without fear of people, boldly spoke God’s truth in a way which addressed the times in which they…
Getting Close To Midnight
Christians, can we admit that in our darkest moments of doubt and struggle we find ourselves still not convinced of the greatness of God? We would never be so brash as to deny that God is good – holy, wise, powerful and faithful – but we deeply struggle at times to believe if His inherent…
Pregnant With Hope
On the first day of the week for nearly two millennia, the followers of Christ have found a time and place to gather with one another for the purpose of worship and oneness. Most of us would casually deem these groups of people as “religious gatherings”, inadvertently diminishing the significance of who we are, what…
CONFLICT: The Mantle of Nehemiah
There was a very long season for me in ministry when I rarely went a week without some level of significant resistance from another human being. It was maddening and discouraging on some days, but on other days I found myself stirred for the fight. Looking back, none of it felt holy because the conflict was…
You Are Powerfully Blessed
“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the one against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” – Romans 4:7-8 Heavenly Father, in a world that offers us no shelter from turmoil, we run to this refuge again and again and find it always waiting…