After 25 years in ministry, traveling to 32 countries, and preaching to folks in every conceivable setting and denomination, I have concluded that the best, most helpful advice I can give to pastors and leaders is 3 simple words:   PREACH THE GOSPEL   There are other important things I could suggest.  Take a vacation.  Pray more frequently.  Guard your health.  Love your family.  All good advice, to be sure, and we must do these things.  But the gospel is essential and eternal.  It stands over and above every other … read more

RELEVANT MAGAZINE recently printed an article that my wife and I wrote together on money.  We hope this is helpful to you. Have you ever noticed how everyone around you always seems to say the right things about money? They want to save up. They want to invest. They want to build an emergency fund. They want to be debt-free and give and tithe and drive used cars and cook at home and cut up all their credit cards and pay cash for everything. Yet the average American now owes somewhere around $10,000 just on credit cards. Something isn't adding up. People's … read more

In Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, we are challenged to consider the consequences of making vows before we actually commit to them.  I preached on this Wednesday night to a large gathering of college students.  Here are the main ideas behind the passage and some good instruction when it comes to making promises to God and others. 1.  Consider your motives before committing with your mouth 2.  Your depth of dedication in relationships will be equivalent to your consistency of committment in other areas 3.  Falling in love is accidental.  Walking in love … read more

**The following is an excerpt from Chapter 1 of our newest book on Love, Dating, and Marriage.  You can read more here and at Amazon.com**   ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION? If you are paying attention to your life and your future at all, you need to be asking questions like these. ·      Why do so few people stay married anymore? ·      Why are anti-depressants one of the most commonly prescribed medications in America now? ·      Why are sexually … read more

I witnessed something Friday that profoundly affected me.  I still can't shake it. For the past several years, my wife and I have taken a few days after the holidays to get away, just the two of us, to rest and re-connect before another year begins.  This year we went to Puerto Rico.  Just to relax.  Eat.  Sleep.  Talk.  Read.  Do nothing. I was laying on the beach Friday, reading a book, when a major commotion began just to my left.  As people ran to see what was going on, it became clear that a man was in some kind of … read more

If you've read my blog more than once, you know of my love (and concern) for pastors.  My best friends are all pastors.  I am a pastor.  So when I read anything that I think would benefit them, I want to pass it on.  Here is one such article.   Studies show junk foods change brain chemistry and are addictive like cocaine by Ethan A. Huff, staff writer (NaturalNews) Is gorging on a bag of nacho cheese-flavored corn chips, for instance, the same as snorting a line of cocaine? A number of scientific studies, many of which were conducted … read more

CROSSROADS MISSION TIPS We are offering 4 different international trips in 2012to Guatemala, Uganda, North India, and Haiti.    While we realize that a week or two is probably not enough time to change entire nations, we see tremendous value in building relationships with other believers and helping them serve their unbelieving neighbors.  Sometimes, this will mean helping on a construction project in a Haitian village; it may mean serving people with disabilities in Guatemala, helping in a local hospital in Uganda, or building … read more

Christopher Hitchens, one of the most brilliant and respected minds of our day, recently died.  But what he will be remembered for by many was his outspoken and proud atheism; his vigorous defense of the indefensible idea that there is a god.  Men like Hitchens, Samm Harris, as well as Lenin, Huxley, and Voltaire, have asked serious questions about why anyone would ever believe in god at all, and why anyone of moderate intelligence would choose Christianity in particular. Here are my reasons for believing in God and for being a Christian.  This video will … read more

One of the most valuable lessons you will ever learn is how to cut the "right things" out of your daily routine.  And ironically, what makes them the "right things" to cut is actually the fact that they are the "wrong things" to be spending your time on. Here's what I mean; there are endless possibilities awaiting your attention every moment of every day.  You could easily spend 3 hours watching senseless YouTube videos or getting caught up in reading stranger's comments on Facebook.  Or you could get suckered into someone … read more

Christmas, Love and Wrath **The following was written by my wife and best friend, Charie King Have you ever struggled in your study of Old Testament scriptures, conflicted between the need for justice for the oppressed, but wondering how wrath and judgment can both come from a loving God? Recently, I’ve noticed God’s Old Testament love proven in His search for a reason to restrain His wrath. I’ve seen Him pursue individuals who are available and willing to be used through an alternate avenue other than destruction. God petitioned Noah to save his family, … read more