December 2016 Blog Posts (10)

These 5 connections hold the key to spiritual fruitfulness & fulfillment.

A pivotal moment in my life occurred around this time of year in 2010. My friend Don Wright and I were taking our usual walk around the track of Weddington High School, and I told him quite earnestly, “Don, some things have really got to change in my life next year.”

Don has a way of getting to the heart of a matter, and he reminded me of a sobering truth: “I think you said the same thing last year at…

In Carson McCullers’…

The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

LUKE 19:10 MLB

I could have saved Myself a lot of trouble, if I had stayed by My Father’s side; instead, I made Myself nothing, donned the garb of a slave, and died a criminal’s death on a Roman cross. Skull Hill was a long…

The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

LUKE 19:10 MLB

I could have saved Myself a lot of trouble, if I had stayed by My Father’s side; instead, I made Myself nothing, donned the garb of a slave, and died a criminal’s death on a Roman cross. Skull Hill was a long…

7 Life-Changing Christmas Facts in the First Chapter of John

When we think about the Christmas story, we usually start with the Gospel of Luke and Gospel of Matthew. There we see the shepherds, the magi, and the angel Gabriel’s stunning declaration to Mary. Other colorful characters appear, including Elizabeth and Zacharias, Simeon and Anna.

But John’s Gospel presents the rest of the story. As the final of the four Gospel accounts, it reveals…

Marching orders

Then he gave orders to the people:

“March around the city, and the armed men will lead the way in front of the Ark of the Lord.”

JOSHUA 6:7 NLT

You sometimes feel…

As Joshua approached the city of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man facing him with sword in hand.

Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you friend or foe?”

“Neither one,” he replied. “I am commander of the Lord’s army.”

JOSHUA 5:13-14 NLT…

Many have likened life to a journey.  I think it is rather a series of short journeys, phases of life, chapters in a larger story.  We depart and we return, and even though we can’t really go home again, we can go through home again, and when we do, we find those who celebrate with us, and encourage us to go again.  I had a favorite author, who disappointed me by later lifestyle choices, but once wrote profound words, “Everyone who returns from a long and difficult trip is looking for…

I once met a man who had become addicted to prescription painkillers.

“That must be terrible,” I empathized. “Where is your pain located?”

I expected the man to tell me about migraine headaches, pain in his back, or some other kind of physical agony. But, to my surprise, he took the conversation in an entirely different direction.

“Well, my wife left me a few years ago, and I’ve been really lonely. I’m also having conflict with my kids, and I don’t like my job. I…

Christmas comes like an avalanche—we’re overwhelmed with a calendar crammed with social events, a long shopping list for family and friends, and a feeling that there’s no way we can get everything done in time. Why does this seem to happen every year? Could it be that we’ve let our American culture’s materialistic focus replace a heartfelt celebration of joy at the thought of God sending us a Savior?

By the time we reach the Christmas Eve candlelight service…