One of the greatest treasures in this life is a good friend. You will have lived a good life for the Lord Jesus if during the course of life you may a few good, deep, lifelong friends. I have such a friend in Ed Litton. Ed and I met in seminary. He came to preach at the church I struggled to serve as pastor, ignorant as I was. God used him that week.  Although my age, he was and remains … →

Pendulums tend to swing from one extreme to another. We see this in the life of the American church. In particular I have observed the tendency of many to go to one extreme or another in their personal walk with Christ. On the one hand you have what I would call the Christian Geeks. These are the folks who truly love Jesus and generally love people, sometimes lost people. Some characteristics: –They are thankfully very loyal to their local church … →

One of the great concerns I have for youth in the church today has to do with a staleness I see in their faith. So many who have been raised in church, who know the answers to the main questions (or think they do) and have basically been-there-done-that, often display a lack of passion. Since I have an almost obsessive habit of analyzing things, I have wondered this summer about how to help with that. After five weeks of camp, … →

I travel a lot. Ministry keeps me busy. And, I do have a day job. I also take a day off every week which keeps me sane. When Josh was born I recall well being concerned about the danger of sacrificing my family on the altar of ministry. I never believed you had to choose one or the other. I have watched many minister’s kids grow up to resent ministry. I always believed (and still do) that my family is … →