Things happen in this life that you never saw coming. A phone call, a text, an email can change the trajectory of your life in a nanosecond. Life is fragile and must be held with open hands. As you navigate uncertainty and confusion, receive the pe…
The threats against Peter and John by the Sanhedrin to not speak or teach in the name of Jesus only served to embolden the growing church. Their response to cultural pushback and resistance should embolden us as well. Instead of giving up, they pra…
Courage in the face of danger, loss, and resistance speaks volumes of one's commitment to their cause. Peter and John's confidence and security unnerved the religious rulers, the Sanhedrin, as they realized Jesus may be dead and gone, but His Spirit…
Before the Maps app was on our phones, we had Garmin GPS units. I remember hearing, "Recalculating," on a regular basis. I had missed a turn somewhere and needed to be redirected back to the route. Paul experienced the same issue on one of his miss…
I'll never forget traveling through a community in the high desert of Southern California. I just knew that something wasn't right. Like Paul, my "spirit was provoked within me." I found out that several tragedies had occurred there, as though it w…
You need oxygen to live. If you can't breathe, your body will expire. It is the same with faith. If you do not exhibit the fruit of repentance, aka "works," your faith is impotent and dead. The idea of "works" being vital to your faith has been vil…
Jesus is our model for engaging the culture. Whether it was the Pharisees, a Governor, the public square, a synagogue, or the marketplace, He was fully involved in the world in which He lived. He was consumed with zeal. Somewhere along the way, per…
We tend to gravitate toward that which is more complicated. Keeping things simple and direct is a challenge for most. When it comes to Jesus' second coming, the theories and postulations abound. We do not know the time. However, we do know we are t…
When the signal came, the people bowed to the ground before the golden statue of the king, except for three young men. They did not rise to stand; they were already standing. While the rest cowered, they stood their ground. The king was furious and…
Elijah challenged the culture, aka the prophets of Baal, to a debate. The short version: when the moment came, God showed up, and fire fell from heaven and consumed Elijah's sacrifice along with the altar itself. Principle: Fire falls on sacrifice.…
