A Template for Prayer

If you go to a bookstore to learn how to write a resume for your job application, you’ll buy a book with sample resumes. The examples in the book are there to help you create your own resume. It’s obviously not intended that you copy the sample information...

Getting God’s Attention in Prayer

When applying for a job, you carefully write a cover letter and send your resume to the company. You try to present yourself in as positive a fashion as possible, because there are probably hundreds of other applicants and you want to stand out in the crowd. Many...

When the Doctor Becomes the Patient

Are you familiar with the movie, The Doctor? It’s based on the true story of an arrogant surgeon who was insensitive to co-workers, to patients and to family members. He developed a cough that didn’t get better and he discovered that he had cancer....

Dying with Courage

One of the most surprising lessons I’ve learned as a pastor is the courageous and hopeful way that many Christians die. They’re not frightened by the prospect of death in their final days. Many of us, however, doubt that we can face death well. We dread...

A Mixed Bag of Ancestors

Most of us have someone in our extended family or ancestry that we’d rather not own up to. It’s like the old saying, “You can pick your friends, but not your family.” And Jesus was no exception. His ancestry was quite a mixed bag. For example,...