“Brethren, pray for us” (1 Thessalonians 5:25). Spiritual leaders especially need your prayers. 1. They are human just like the rest of us. 2. They have the daily struggles of work and family just like we all do. 3. They also have the concerns of the church to consider. 4. They have a greater number of people to watch over and care for than we do. 5. They are subject to intense spiritual warfare unlike what we face.

“From house to house” (Acts 2:46). The church on earth will finish the same as it began… from house to house. The age of the corporate church is coming to a close in these last days. Old men will dream dreams, the prophet Joel said… not dreams of the former…

Things I Learned From My Recent Illness and Hospital Stay 1. everything is connected… cascade failures are the worst… fixing one thing might break something else… 2. thank God for smart and gifted people… we call them doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and technicians… I am extremely grateful for them 3. pain without prayer is terrible… I believe in prayer because I believe in the Creator who made me and knows what is best for me

“Depart from Me, I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23). This may be the scariest text in the Bible. It is scary because these words of Jesus were aimed at people who thought they were good with God. They had prophesied, cast out demons, and performed miracles. They were the A…

“Look to Me and be saved” (Isaiah 45:22). This text says to look. That isn’t a difficult thing to do. It isn’t some great feat or accomplishment. Anybody can look, even a child. You don’t need wealth or education to look. You don’t need to lift a finger, you just…

“The whole creation groans and suffers together even until now” (Romans 8:22). Why doesn’t God stop all this suffering? It seems so unfair that He allows pain and evil to continue when He could stop it or even have prevented it in the first place. Yes, mankind brought this pain…

“Weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). Happiness is a mood. The physiology of the brain determines your moods. There are all sorts of chemicals rushing around in your body that give you moments of happiness or sadness or stress or satisfaction. Different…

“For we all stumble in many ways” (James 3:2). Christian living isn’t about perfection. Most Christians will admit this obvious truth (because the Scripture is clear on this point), however, they live and act as if their lives have already reached the pinnacle of perfection. This can most clearly be…

“Act like men” (1 Corinthians 16:13). MANLINESS Tall, dark, handsome. Funny. Ripped. Purpose driven. Loves kids. Well, enough about me. What does the Bible have to say? If there was a list of Scriptural qualities, it might look something like the following. A real man understands that humans are broken…