“What’s in a name?” opined Juliet in Shakespeare’s famous play Romeo and Juliet.
Her answer: “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Continue reading
“Reading the Bible—or Living It?”
For one week, the Bible is being read aloud in the nation’s capital—publicly, continuously, and by voices from every corner of American life.
“One Week. One Nation. One Book” is the theme of “America Reads the Bible.”
The weeklong event in Washington, D.C., features daily Scripture readings from morning to evening, with nearly 500 participants—including political leaders, media personalities, and representatives of various ministries. Continue reading
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The Love That Restores the Song
David DeWitt tells a humorous story about Chippie the parakeet. He was minding his own business, singing his song one day, when his owner decided to clean his cage with a vacuum cleaner. The phone rang, and she stepped away to answer it—and that’s when everything went wrong. Continue reading
Filed under Love More. Give More
Weekly Recap: April 13-17
Greetings from Music City!
It’s good to be back in Middle Tennessee, where I’m beginning a meeting at the Kemper Heights Church, just North of Nashville in Madison.
We’ve been with this good church many times over the past 25 years, so it’s a real pleasure to return and renew our friendship and fellowship with these dear brethren. My good friend and former intern, Mike Richardson, is the local preacher and is doing a wonderful work. Continue reading
Filed under Discipleship
Running On Empty?
$75.43 was the cost of filling up my car last Sunday compared to $41.96 just six weeks ago for the same amount of fuel,” posted my friend and preaching colleague James McClenny on his Facebook page.
James insisted it wasn’t political. But it illustrated a powerful spiritual reality.
James opined, “that to get from point A to point B and back, my car must be filled with fuel. So, as much as I may dislike the cost, I have to pay it in order to fill up my car or just sit at my house going nowhere and doing nothing.”
He then offered this comparison. Continue reading
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When Sin Settles In
Imagine discovering a bear living in the crawl space under your house.
That’s what happened to Ken Johnson of Altadena, California. When he first noticed bricks scattered beneath his home, he assumed it was a raccoon or a stray dog. But after installing a camera, he woke up to a shocking discovery: a 550-pound black bear had moved in. Not for a visit. Not for a night. It had settled in. Continue reading
Filed under Discipleship
Acts 5:1-9–The Sin That Looks Like Righteousness
Few sins are more subtle—or more dangerous—than hypocrisy. It hides behind good deeds, dresses itself in righteousness, and fools everyone…except God.
“Half of the misery in the world comes from trying to look, instead of trying to be, what one is not,” once wrote the 19th-century Scottish minister George MacDonald.
This practice can be summed up in one word: hypocrisy. Wearing a mask. Pretending. Acting instead of being. In a twisted way, “Hypocrisy is an homage that vice pays to virtue,” suggested the French writer La Rochefoucauld. Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
Conformed: Two Choices That Shape Your Life
This week, Norma Jean and I are in Marion, Indiana, where I’m preaching in a meeting at the Woodland Hills Church. In addition to the evening assemblies, I’ve been teaching morning classes on “Developing the Mind of Christ.”
This series is based on Philippians 2:5, where Paul admonished, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” The NASU renders it: “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.” Continue reading
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When Love Completes the Law
I recently read about a man who prided himself on being a “law-abiding neighbor.”
He never stole. Never trespassed. Never violated a single ordinance. Continue reading
Filed under Love More. Give More
Weekly Recap: April 6-10
Greetings from the Hoosier state!
Norma Jean and I are on the way to Marion, Indiana, where I will be preaching a series of lessons at the Woodland Hills Church.
The meeting begins tomorrow, April 12, and continues through Wednesday evening, the 15th. The theme of the series will be “What Matters Most,” based on Acts 2:42-47. (For a preview of the 5 lessons, see the bonus post below. Continue reading
Filed under Discipleship
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