Making Sense of Coast-to-coast Chaos

Making Sense of Coast-to-coast Chaos Out in the west, “it’s wildfires blotting out the sun, turning day into an eerie twilight.” Sounds like a verse in Revelation. It’s actually a recent news headline covering the west coast fires. Meanwhile, a new hurricane Sally pounds the Gulf shores. This has become a weekly thing lately it seems. Mixed in with disaster headlines are reports of anarchists, uprisings, looting and law & order...

7 Needless Barriers Between Teens and the Bible

The reasons so many young people are walking away from Christianity are obvious: shifting culture, ineffective youth ministry, college professors, government hostility, and the entertainment industry-right? Wrong. Blaming these realities is like blaming the wind for cracks in a building’s sinking foundation. A friend of mine with college-age children recently told me, “In raising my kids, I wanted to make sure they had a...

A baby in a basket… and 3,500 years of racism

 60-day Bible readers are flying through scriptures.  In just a few quick days, we cleared Genesis and landed in Exodus – and what a timely read that is for today.  A man (Moses) grows up witnessing slavery of the Hebrews to the Egyptians. One day he notices a particularly cruel and violent treatment toward one of his Hebrew brothers. Moses flies into rage – and kills the Egyptian. How’s that for a social-justice protest? What follows...

4 Reasons Why I Like the Power Read Challenge for Teens

What are your teens reading this summer? It’s not a trick question. When I was a teen, I read magazines, but mostly was outside or watching television. But years ago, after challenging myself to read the entire Bible in sixty days, I realized how doable the goal was—and was surprised by how much I learned. Then I wondered if a teenager could also Power Read the Bible in sixty days and have a similar faith-building experience. As you...

That 8-inch spike… a Good Friday Perspective

Scott Johnson, elder and teacher at Fellowship Bible Church in Tulsa, shared a powerful Palm Sunday message about the cross crucifixion. Scott shared perspectives of the Roman crucifixion based on his personal study. The most memorable part for me was seeing Scott hold in his hands a giant nail, or spike, like one that would have been used by Romans to fasten a body to the wooden frame. The nail was eight inches long,...

3 ways to view the pandemic – from God’s perspective

As I ponder this past month, I’m intrigued by how the pandemic is turning people to God. Here are three ways to view the coronavirus – from God’s perspective. #1 God has our attention.  God doesn’t have to do much to get us to look up. A tiny microscopic virus has shut down the world. Invisible bacterial strands are circling the globe through person-to-person contact. As a result, people are frightened. We’re running from the virus....

Don’t trust your parents

Being an American taxpayer is sort of like having divorced parents. Compared to the rest of the world, it’s not a bad family situation. Still, it has its quirks. Neither parent (political party) likes each other. And every 4 years or so Mom or Dad gets a new boyfriend or girlfriend to add to the dysfunction. This move-in parent always seems to take charge. Sometimes they stick around for 8 years. Eventually they leave and a new...

When Babylon falls in a single hour

Last week I concluded an 8-week class on the book of Revelation at my church. Near the book’s end is the fall of commercial Babylon. (I encourage you to read Chapter 18). Babylon’s economic collapse will mark the near end of the Great Tribulation period. Babylon falls after 3 ½ years of devastating plagues. (God also uses “42 months” and “1,260 days” to make clear the duration of this plague-filled...