During our get-organized campaign that started last week, Marlene uncovered this pin that we gave away in 2002 when the whole congregation took the challenge to “get on the Bible bus” and read the Bible all the way through. Every Sunday that year I began my sermon with the same question, “So how are you doing?” After the fir…
Last September I spoke at the Pentagon Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. We have just posted the podcast of the message I delivered that morning to a group of around 100 military personnel—from enlisted men and women all the way up to a three-star general. When I announced that I was going to speak on “Why you need your enemies and y…
Last Sunday Todd Wilson, senior pastor of Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, IL, preached a powerful message on persevering in your faith from Colossians 1:21-23. He began with an illustration about how hard it is to climb Mt. Everest and then applied it to the Christian life. He challenged his hearers to take seriously the big “if” i…
Last week I mentioned that we were in the throes of a massive housecleaning, reorganizing and downsizing project. The process continued over the weekend, and as of tonight we are almost finished. Already we have thrown away bags and bags of unneeded and unused clothes, books, and assorted paraphernalia from the last 35 years. Along the way we&rsquo…
Recently George Barna released some new research showing that Christianity is no longer Americans’ default faith. For a long time most people assumed that being born in America meant that you were raised with a Christian background. That is, even if you didn’t go to church, you were raised in and around the Christian faith. That was you…
Most Christians struggle with doubt at one time or another. Doubt is not sinful but it can be dangerous. It can also be a spur to enormous spiritual growth. It’s what you do with your doubt that matters. Here are seven simple suggestions about how to handle your doubt.1. Admit your doubts and ask for help.Tell the Lord about your struggles. G…
This morning in Sunday School Mike Ferris led a discussion regarding the Second Coming of Christ from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. He pointed out that our focus ought to be on the fact of Christ’s return, not on the timing because no one knows when he will come back. The lesson dovetailed nicely with the pastor’s sermon on the same topic, t…
Starting next Tuesday (January 13), I’m going to be on the air live on American Family Radio. For over a year I’ve been taking part in a monthly program on AFR called “Fire Away” where we discuss various hot topics and invite calls from listeners across America. AFR has just launched a brand-new format on 126 stations called…
This week we’ve been doing some major housecleaning that started when we decided it was time to get things organized. In our particular situation, there is really no demarcation between our home and the ministry because, as I like to tell people, the “world headquarters” of Keep Believing Ministries is in my office at home and in …
We have just uploaded a new podcast called Life on the Edge. In it I argue that being saved doesn’t mean being safe in the world. Being truly saved means being so safe in God that you are willing to risk everything for the sake of the Kingdom. The message, which was originally given to college students, challenges all of us to stop playing it…