Ministry Perspectives, It is no secret that we are in a 'storm' of shifting winds in this nation. In navigating every day we are given by God, we who know the Lord and trust Him depend on the compass of the Word of God. In doing so, we look ahead with confidence during the times when all we can see is the next huge wave that is about to pound the ship. When our vision is limited, we lean not on our own understanding but on the One who steers the wind and controls the waves. After all, He walks above the tempest as others may who focus on Him instead of what is going on around them or even beneath them. Remember Peter (Matthew 14:29)? Jesus knew what was coming and what we are facing. He wrot

In our continuing journey through 'Experiencing God' on Sunday mornings, I was reminded of an important principle in God's Word that has daily application for each of us. It comes from John's gospel account, chapter 14, verse 15. "If you love Me, keep My commandments." Many read that verse and respond negatively to it, concluding 'I need to do more' to be accepted. Truth is, as a believer, you and I are accepted by God through His act of grace and our response of faith in the finished work of Christ Jesus. Keeping His commandments are not the requirement for acceptance. Keeping His commandments are the requirements for blessing from the Lord. His salvation is not based on our works but rathe

With every passing week, this world continues to move closer toward its conclusion and with it the revelation of Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords! That will be an exciting time for many but sadly not everyone. Until that moment of the twinkling of the eye when the Lord catches away His bride, the Church is required by divine command to be engaged in unceasing prayer in being an enthusiastic witness of Jesus' love and life. There is a verse of scripture that I read on Thursday of last week and was given some fresh insight on. The text may be familiar, but the truth it contains transcends every situation you and I have faced or ever shall. The Word of God says in Philippians 2:9

If you ever wondered what separates people like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, U.S. Grant, Martin Luther King Jr., Billy Graham, Helen Keller, Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart, Sally Ride, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Daniel Ruettiger (Rudy), war veteran Melissa Stockwell and many more from others, it’s the determination to press toward a goal that is deemed worthwhile and rewarding. There are many in our world who want to be the best, who desire to be noticed or who would like to excel but with the passing of time lack the determination to see it through. It looks good on paper or sounds good in conversation but the principles of putting it into practice is often deemed too demanding or diff

I was reminded on Friday of last week of why we pray. There are at least two reasons that are evident. The first being, God has commanded that we pray. What that means for me, having entered into a personal relationship with Jesus as Lord and Savior is that I do what He says simply because He says it. Jesus didn't say, 'IFyou pray..." Jesus said to His disciples, "WHEN you pray..." If prayer is neglected, life becomes exceedingly more difficult to navigate. As Lord of my life, Jesus directs my days according to His good pleasure. The consequence for me is that I am blessed not only by His presence but with His presents of joy and strength to fulfill His purpose for the day. However, should I

If you have ever thought, heard, or even said, 'life just isn't fair', then hopefully what follows will help illuminate why that is true. There have been volumes of material written over the years to help people with why bad things seem to happen and more especially why bad things happen to those who appear to be doing their best to do it right. I heard Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point Church in Atlanta, GA once say, "If you think life is not fair, you must remember there was a time in history when things were fair." We do not know how long of a period that life was fair, but we do know the place. It was in the garden of Eden where God first formed the man from dust and then framed the wo

With all the humanity that we see and more we do not, it might be easy to throw up our hands or throw in the towel wrongly believing that one person could make any lasting impact upon this world. Don't tell that to a couple of guys who started Microsoft in a garage in 1975. Forty-five years later, almost everyone in the world is influenced on some level by what began with a college drop-out named Bill Gates. Regardless of whether you think his influence to be good or bad, nonetheless his work has and is changing the world. On another more enduring and I hope encouraging note, the same might be said of anyone when he/she decides to live by faith in the promises of God Word. In Hebrews 11, oft