January 2016 Blog Posts (21)

The sign attracted my attention. It was so simple, yet so profound. It bypassed theory and landed on reality. “You know it’s cold outside” the sign read, “when you go outside, and it’s cold.” It reminded me of a weather forecast I heard on a Brownwood, Texas radio station during my college days, “The low tonight will be near tomorrow” said the weatherman. Simplicity is often overlooked in favor of more sophisticated expressions. Some days, we just need simple truth. This one comes to mind:…

I don’t plan to see Will’s Smith’s new movie, “Concussion.” It’s probably a good movie, but I’m afraid it would tarnish my love for the game of football. I would rather hold on to the fantasy that there aren’t any consequences to all those hits to the head.

And I hate to break it to you, but here’s some startling news:

YOU might be at risk for a concussion, even if you never play football!

Here’s what I mean…

A concussion is defined as “an…

Let’s start today by revisiting Jesus’ commissioning of the seventy-two from a few weeks ago. The seventy-two certainly had something to rejoice in when they used the gifts they had received: “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name” (Luke 10:17). And because of that, we tend to read Jesus’ response, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (…

We all know what it feels like to let people down. Our boss…spouse…kids…parents…friends…customers…clients. The list goes on.

It feels terrible to let people down.

Apple, one of the world’s most successful companies, let its shareholders down last quarter. The company was expected to take in $76.54 billion in revenue for the quarter (yes, BILLION), but they “only” received a meager $75.9 billion.

Meanwhile, Apple only sold 74.8 million iPhones in the quarter, short of the…

“Each man was assigned his task and told what to carry, just as the Lord had commanded through Moses.” (Numbers 4:49…

Today is the birthday of former Canadian hockey star Wayne Gretzky, nicknamed “The Great One.” After 20 seasons in the National Hockey League, Gretzky became regarded as the greatest hockey player of all time.

I’ll be honest, I know very little about hockey. But I’ve always been impressed by a brilliant key Gretzky used to become so successful.  

“I go to where the puck is going, not to where it’s been,” Gretzky explained.

That sounds obvious, I…

As you may have heard by now, the Carolina Panthers crushed the Arizona Cardinals 49-15 in the NFC Championship Game, winning a place in Super Bowl 50. And in a surprising development, odds-makers have even made the Panthers a slight favorite in their Super Bowl matchup against the Denver Broncos.

What’s astonishing about this scenario is that at the beginning of the season the Panthers were a 50-1 underdog to win the Super Bowl. Few people even expected them to win their…

“The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth.

They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry.

It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces…

NOTE from Discipleship.Network Coordinator ~

Our community guidelines allow inviting members to offer support in prayer but we do not approve financial solicitation. Nearly everyone on this site has ministries that could use additional funding. We are confident the Spirit will make it clear if/when you are to contribute without that individual or ministry…

Late last year, I completed the Certificate in Theology and Ministry offered online by Princeton Theological Seminary (PTS).* Along with about 120 or so other people who were scattered across the country and the world.



This past weekend, PTS invited all who completed the course to attend a special recognition luncheon and worship service at the Princeton, NJ campus. There was a…

Our new lives in Christ are just beginning. We are changed; but we are eternally far from finished. “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own” (Philippians 3:12). We will not be finished until even our new lives are fully laid down before Christ; and that cycle of blessing, crucifixion, and resurrection will continue until the day we meet Christ face to face.

More often than not, I value my…

If we sincerely desire to know the Lord, pressing on to know him (Hosea 6:3), we will learn that God is love (1 John 4:16). When the Holy Spirit controls our heart, love will be is evident in our attitudes and actions.

Galatians 5:19-21 lists demons Jesus orders to flee—including hostility, quarreling, outbursts of anger, dissension, and division—all manifestations of hatred. Verses 22 and 23 lists the heavenly habits of the heart—the first one being sacrificial love; and…

If we sincerely desire to know the Lord, pressing on to know him (Hosea 6:3), we will learn that God is love (1 John 4:16). When the Holy Spirit controls our heart, love will be is evident in our attitudes and actions.

Galatians 5:19-21 lists demons Jesus orders to flee—including hostility, quarreling, outbursts of anger, dissension, and division—all manifestations of hatred. Verses 22 and 23 lists the heavenly habits of the heart—the first one being sacrificial love; and…

“Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one.” (Numbers 1:2 NIV)

Before making a move, it is wise to inventory our resources—taking stock of contacts, health, possessions, time, and goals. A census makes sense. 

The number of people around us is vitally important. Community counts. It would not be good for us to be alone, so God gives us a complementary companion and…

I have good news: You don't have to win the Powerball Lottery in order to become the wealthiest person in the world.

Let me explain…

Years ago I was driving down the road, reflecting on a TV interview of Bill Gates I’d heard a few days earlier. Gates clearly is a remarkable guy, and the interview discussed how he founded Microsoft and became the richest man in America in the process.

Gates earned his first billion dollars by age 31, and his wealth has now soared to…

I am the National Prayer Director for Christian Grandparenting Network and I have a dream to form a movement of A Million Praying Grandparents who will commit to pray intentionally and regularly for their grandchildren and their parents. I want to share my dream/passion with you because I believe you too, share my concern for our grandchildren growing up in the broken…

“A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year, and out the other.” (Anonymous)

Now that ten days of 2016 have come and gone, how’re you doing with your resolutions?

We all have good intentions. However, we learn by experience the futility of human resolve. Resolutions are promises we make to…

Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera said something profound in a radio interview this week: “You’ll never play fast if you’re confused.” His point was that each player needs to know his assignment…his place…his role…on any given play. Confusion causes hesitation, and hesitation in a fast game like football will likely spell defeat.

But Rivera’s comment has an application far beyond football or other sports. It’s a principle of life, and it applies to me right now far more than I would…

“He crouched, he lay down like a lion and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you” (Numbers 24:9).

As I first pulled together the ideas for this book, I came across this passage from Numbers, which is part of Balaam’s prophecy over the nation of Israel. (By the way, it’s also a reprise of the man Israel’s [Jacob’s] prophecy over Judah in Genesis 49:9.) It’s a curious…

By nature, I’m an “all in” sort of guy. One of my favorite mantras is “The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.” So when I set an objective, I’m always looking for the quickest and most direct route to get there.

Lots of us guys are like that. We don’t just want a new car that can get us to our destination, we’re looking for how fast it can take us from 0 to 60 mph.

But not everything in life works like that…

• If it took you two decades to put on…