Americans are stressed out. The problem was bad enough before the pandemic, but statistics skyrocketed during and after that crisis. Today, more than 42 million people in this country suffer from an anxiety disorder, according to Mental Health America, and we spend more than $18 billion annually on medications for anxiety and depression. Why are …
Are You Worried Sick? Jesus Has the Answer for Anxiety Read More »
I started seriously following Jesus in the 1970s. From those early days until now, I’ve watched many leaders fail. During the days of the Jesus Movement, we learned that Lonnie Frisbee—the hippie evangelist portrayed in the movie “Jesus Revolution”—got divorced because of sexual immorality and had to break ties with Calvary Chapel pastor Chuck Smith. …
One Leader’s Failure Isn’t an Excuse to Leave the Faith Read More »
At the end of every year, I set aside time to reflect and evaluate. I look at photos from the past year, savor the good memories, grieve for the sad moments and celebrate the victories. I also carefully consider any mistakes I made and how I can grow spiritually in the coming year. I see …
How to ‘Number Your Days’ as You Enter a New Year Read More »
Dec. 25 is just a blip on the screen for some people. But for me it takes at least a month to celebrate the birth of Jesus. This is why Christmas is referred to as a “season.” The miracle of the incarnation is simply too wondrous to be limited to one day. When we study …
7 Awesome Christmas Miracles We Should Celebrate Read More »
A holy fire was ignited in your heart when you first met Jesus. You discovered true joy, peace and love. God sparked a spiritual hunger in you, which awakened a desire to pursue Him. You probably sensed an insatiable appetite for the Bible, you wanted to pray and you looked for every chance to fellowship …
Have you ever reached a point where life was too hard? Have you ever prayed, “Lord, I want to be more like You,” and then all hell broke loose? I have a friend in another state who is feeling overwhelmed like this right now. Life is just too difficult for him. First there was a …
Earlier this week a high school teacher in Queens, New York, was forced to hide in her office because rampaging students threatened to attack her. What made the students so angry? The woman, who has been a teacher for 23 years, had posted a picture of herself on social media. She was holding a sign …
Why Do Some People Think the Israelis Are the Bad Guys? Read More »
Last month I accompanied my friend Prasanna to a huge garbage dump on the edge of the city where he lives in Andhra Pradesh in southeast India. For the past few years Prasanna, his older brother, Raja, and their ministry team have been taking food, medicines, clothes and other aid to a growing group of …
God Adjusted My Ungratefulness in a Garbage Dump in India Read More »
Earlier this week I spoke at a leadership conference for a group of pastors in El Salvador. These pastors face a lot of spiritual challenges in their culture: Drug addiction among youth, alcoholism, idolatry and rampant witchcraft. But I had to tell these pastors that the biggest challenge to their churches is not something outside—it …
The Spiritual Force Choking the Life Out of the Church Read More »
Carlton Pearson, the Pentecostal bishop who was labeled a heretic by his peers because he rejected the authority of the Bible, is now “at death’s door” according to a video he posted last week from his hospital bed. The 70-year-old preacher, who has battled prostate cancer off and on for years, was put under hospice …
Matthew Perry died way too young. The beloved actor who played Chandler Bing on the hit sit-com “Friends” for 10 seasons—from 1994 to 2004—was found dead in a hot tub in his Los Angeles home last weekend. So far investigators haven’t determined the cause of his death. He was 54. Perry was a really funny …
Matthew Perry Made Us Laugh, But He Was a Tortured Soul Read More »
It has become common for Reformed and fundamentalist Christians to deny the miracle-working power of God. Known as cessationists, these people insist that the gifts of the Holy Spirit immediately stopped after the Bible was canonized. They believe God pulled the plug on New Testament miracles. Cessationists proclaim that Christians only need the Bible, not supernatural …
In India, Book of Acts-Style Miracles Still Happen Read More »
Oct. 7, 2023, will be etched forever in Israel’s collective memory. On that day, near the end of the Jewish festival known as Sukkot, Hamas terrorists crossed into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip to inflict unimaginable horror on Jews—and on other innocent people from 43 countries. The Hamas militants arrived by boat to attack …
When You Pray for Israel, Don’t Forget Palestinian Christians Read More »
Last week I hosted a men’s discipleship conference in Jacksonville, Florida. More than 220 guys from 18 states and a few foreign countries enjoyed three days of meals, fellowship and encouraging sermons. The guys sang loudly and got rowdy during break times, but you could hear a pin drop during a panel discussion about sexual …
How Andy Stanley Is Distorting the Christian View of Sexuality Read More »
Church hurt is real. I have friends who’ve been in counseling for years because they were so spiritually abused by pastors. I also know pastors who were treated horribly by deacons, elders or church members. I know a pastor’s wife who battles clinical depression because of the way her husband was mistreated by their former …
