My Dad’s Obituary
This past Monday was two months since my excellent father died. I didn’t realize it had been that long until a church member sent my wife and me a sweet email letting us know she was praying for us. Life’s
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“Your testimonies also are my delight; they are my counselors.” – Psalm 119:24
God Has Not Forgotten You In Your Time of Great Sorrow
The pain of loss can lead you to feel alone, even forgotten. The lack of answers to your Why questions and the drying up of the stream of encouraging phone calls, or mail can add to this solitary feeling. There
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RESOURCES: Parenting Prodigal Children
Here’s another recommended Resource List as you minister grace and truth. There are more list links in the right-hand margin of this homepage. BOOKS & MINI-BOOKS Come Back, Barbara: A Father’s Pursuit of a Prodigal Daughter (John Miller and Barbara
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Three Reasons God Commands Us to Pray for Government Leaders
It’s Inauguration Day in the United States, so I thought I’d remind us all of the biblical duty we have to always be in prayer for government leaders. Let us remember that our sovereign God raises and lowers kings (Dan.
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The Silent Pain and Secret Shame In Our Churches
Whether you’re aware of it or not, there is silent pain and secret shame in your church. Cheerful greetings are exchanged each Sunday morning. The “How are you?” greeting is politely met with “Fine” or the more daring “I’ve been
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Cultivating a Church Culture Open to Constructive Critique
There are two equally dangerous extremes that local congregations may fall into as they relate to criticism. The first is a culture of criticism where nearly everything and everyone is viewed with suspicion and negativity. Self-righteous criticism becomes the defining
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Four Gracious Critiques of “The Five Love Languages”
Gary Chapman’s Five Love Languages has sold over 13 million copies over the past almost-thirty years, making it one of the most popular Christianized self-help books ever. But how biblical is its message? How consistent is its counsel with the
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Heavy Trials Test Our Strength and Endurance
A few weeks ago, we had our first real snowstorm of the season. One of our neighbors said it was the most damaging snowfall they experienced on their property in the 37 years they’ve lived there. Our generator ran for
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How My Newest Book was Conceived Over Nine Years Ago
Here is the Introduction to my newest book, When Disability Hits Home: How God Magnifies His Grace In Our Weakness and Suffering, with contributions from Joni Eareckson Tada. The idea for this book was conceived in April 2011 at The
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Man’s Chief Care, Highest Virtue, and Only Happiness
Man need only look back to the origin of existence and he will acknowledge that he owes everything to God. Man’s chief care, his highest virtue, and his only happiness, now and through all eternity, is to present himself as
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Favorite Quotes from My All-Time Favorite Book about Humility
The copy of Andrew Murray’s classic book, Humility, which sits on my desk as I type this blog post, was purchased and read in 1985, when I was only one-year old in Christ. Immediately its impact was felt. Since that
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What Is God Doing through the Death of My Spouse?
“I can’t claim to be inside God’s head, to know His reasons for everything that goes on. Yes, Scripture says I’m to have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5). But that doesn’t mean He answers all my questions.” So writes
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Death Is Not My Friend, But Jesus Is
Coronavirus has brought us back to the basics in shocking ways as we, our loved ones, and the world face the reality of our mortality. In the wake of this pandemic, our merciful God has recently healed several of my
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What Child Is This?
One of my favorite Christmas carols is What Child Is This? Written around 1865 by the Englishman William Chatterton Dix (1837-1898), this carol says so much about our wonderful Savior. What child is this, who, laid to rest, on Mary’s
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NUGGETS
When Christmas Isn’t Merry and Bright – Christmas is not joyous for everyone. For some, the Christmas season brings grief or stress or numbness, which no amount of eggnog or carol singing can overcome. Family tensions, tragic memories, personal sin
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A Groundbreaking Resource: The Family Disability Toolkit
It’s been more than three years in the making and, therefore, I am thrilled to introduce to you a brand new resource. Nothing like this has ever been published before! It’s the Family Disability Toolkit from Shepherd Press and Joni
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Old and New Testament Foundations for Coping with Criticism
Last month, one of the books I read is Pastors and Their Critics: A Guide to Coping with Criticism in Ministry by Joel Beeke and Nick Thompson. This book ministered to me personally, encouraging me to remember the biblical pattern
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How to Pray When Chronic Pain Will Not Go Away
If you live long enough in this sin-cursed world, the day will come when you will need what you are about to read. I’m talking about how to pray when you are in pain. Not a little pain either. I have
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