Have you ever been involved in a group conversation and someone in the group starts speaking for you? “Well, this is what David wants…this is what David thinks…this is what David would do…” (Insert your name, unless it’s David.) Have you ever thought, “Hello! I’m right here! Can I speak for myself, please? I’m pretty sure I know me and what I…

It is interesting how often God inspired New Testament writers to inform us that certain people were not willing to act because of what other people might think or do. Herod Antipas wanted to kill John the Baptist, but at first he would not because “he feared the multitude,” who considered John to be a prophet (Matt. 14:5). The chief priests and…

There are some religious folks who are so enamored by the wonderful mercy of God and, simultaneously, so offended by others who place such strong emphasis on the absolute (and limited) truth of God, that these folks will lift up God’s mercy to the near exclusion of God’s truth. To the opposite extreme, you can find religious folks who are so fixed…

The trend in recent years has been to isolate young people away from the “old people” in the church and into their own “secluded factions.” The reasoning has been something like this: “Young people don’t want to be around the older folks. We’ll attract more young people if we’ll energize them into active, fun and exciting  programs … without the ‘old folks.’”…

Whenever someone thinks that we’re binding something that we shouldn’t be binding (like singing a cappella in worship, or limiting the public leadership role of women in the church), that’s when the assaults of legalism are hurled at us. This, of course, is meant as a sharp criticism and is intended to get us to back down and/or minimize our influence upon…

Have you ever noticed that two people often do not see the same circumstances or situation alike? Sometimes there are slight differences in their perspectives. Sometimes there are vast chasms between their viewpoints. Why the difference? Obviously, one’s motives and emotions can have much to do with it; but, let’s assume (giving the benefit of the doubt) that each party has pure…

This may seem unusual, but there’s something that’s just not adding up, and maybe you can help. As a father, I help my girls with their homework every night, and math problems are my responsibility. The nice thing about math is that there is a certain (logical) process to follow in solving each problem and then there is usually a way (once…

After all I’ve done, could God ever forgive me? After all of the thoughts I’ve had in my heart, would God ever want me back? After all that I’ve done for the wrong motives and the distanced place that I’ve kept God in my life, why would He ever want to forgive me and take me back? It is certain that we…