I was afraid of the dark as a kid. But when the light came on and I could see again, I wasn’t afraid any more. That is what Jesus did for this world. Where it was once consumed by darkness, Jesus flooded it with light. With Jesus as the light in our lives, we can […]
GRACE LIKE AN AVALANCHE
Understanding and being transformed by God’s grace
What is my worth? What is my value? I think these are questions that every person has asked himself or herself at one time or another. I grew up with this idea that everything that was ever given to me had to be earned. I used to have such a difficult time receiving things from […]
RELATIONSHIP REBOOT
What does it mean to be born again?
I gave my life to Christ on Christmas Eve, 1994 in Riverside, California at Harvest Church. Harvest Church is better known statewide for its “Harvest Crusade” festivals every year that pack the Anaheim Angels baseball stadium. The senior pastor, Greg Laurie, leads the meetings every year by bringing the same “why we’re in need of […]
AN OFFER YOU CAN REFUSE
Overcoming temptations through Jesus
As a young man I was not raised in a Christian home. I never attended church. I never opened a bible. I didn’t believe in the existence of God–I was an atheist. I wallowed in drunkenness, womanizing, illegal drugs, lawbreaking, rebellion to parents, arrests, nights in jail, deception, theft, and pride. These actions were acceptable […]
HOW DO I CALL THEE? LET ME COUNT THE WAYS
A look into the names of God
What’s in a name? We all have one. We are all categorized by our names, and we go through life by such. In our culture today however, it doesn’t seem too prevalent to hear one’s name and understand their nature, their calling, or even their personality. We may be just over two thousand years past […]
THE TRINITY
Innovation, iPhones, and identity
If you’re anything like me, when you hear the word “Trinity” you probably can’t help imagining the opening scene from the Matrix (1999) when actress Carrie-Ann Moss a.k.a. “Trinity” dodges agent Smith in a physics-defying scene, leaping between rooftops, flying through the air like a missile and then disappearing in a phone booth just as […]
THE SIGHT UNSEEN
Our battle between the realities of the natural and supernatural
I find myself walking into a smoker-friendly room at a Motel 6 we rented for the night. Too far to drive home, my mother forgets to request a non-smoking room for her asthmatic son. Problems? Not at first. I simply got past the smell until I was no longer aware of it. But 3:00 found […]
HEAVEN IS HOME
A real place, with real bodies, serving a real God.
Between the quintessential blaring light and creepy armed cherubs, popular culture presents Heaven as a mythical and ultimately undesirable place. Thankfully, Christians escape the cheesy harp and halo and instead look forward to living in a real place, with real bodies, serving a real God. Christians sometimes use the verse, “no eye has seen, no […]
IS THERE REALLY FREE WILL?
One writer's perspective on our choices versus God's plan
What is the most important decision you have ever made? I knew a man who decided to go to college after high school. His grades were too low so the college expelled him. Having nowhere else to turn, he thought he would join the Air Force. While in the Air Force he was rapidly promoted. […]
CLOSELY LOVING THE FAR AWAY
Learning how to forget agendas and love authentically.
I once tried to save a guy. I didn’t do CPR on him until the medics came but I tried to introduce him to Jesus. I prayed for him every week. I strategically worked God into our conversations. I even wrote an article about him. I thought I could impress him into heaven with my […]