It’s not going to get better. But there is an answer.

In the middle of his second and final letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul writes a sober and startling statement: “But realize this, that in the last times difficult times will come” (3:1). That sentence jars the reader into wakefulness. That is not the kind of sentence that we like to read. Our presupposition is […]

Remember Jesus

I am afraid it is true. I have done some time in jail. I was young. Very young. And by the grace of God, the time I did was short. I did five minutes as a six-year-old first-grader. We had gone on a field trip to the county jail, and to give us a sense […]

Kindle afresh the gift of God

In a story that echoes the adage, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” U.S. News & World Report related the following story a few years ago: For most of the last decade, Chicagoans who worked in the Loop, the booming downtown business district, could easily ignore the city’s budget crisis; Washington’s […]

A character test

Robert Wilson, in his book Character Above All seeks to answer one fundamental question: “What is the relationship between the President’s character and presidential leadership?” He asks the question because it is his observation that as a group, the American people “‘started out such good people. What happened to us?’…Our political process does reflect us, […]

Treat others…how?

Grace Slan lived and died in a secret world where time stood still. When police entered her two-room flat in London they thought they had stepped into another era, a museum exhibit or a film set. Outside, planes buzzed overhead and traffic jammed city streets. Inside, the 81-year-old woman lived in a dark, solitary world […]

The discipline of discipline

“…discipline yourselves for the purpose of godliness” (1 Tim. 4:7b). Discipline. The word pictures a gymnasium filled with exercise equipment designed to conform the body to fitness. Physical wellness is the result of regular, continual exercise. The same is true of the soul. Spiritual wellness is the result of regular, continual spiritual exercise. But since […]

The church and truth

“but in case I am delayed, I write so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15; NASB). Many years ago, my wife was able to go out of town […]

The primacy of prayer

Having lived during my college years in a military community, I’ve seen the stress of a husband and father separated from his family for six-month intervals. Such absences weigh heavily on all members of the family. One thing that becomes very important, then, is mail. It is the life-line of information and communication between these […]

What’s your story of grace?

If you are a Christian — if you are a follower and lover of Jesus Christ — are you regularly, constantly, and presently aware of God’s grace in your life? How often do you think of God’s grace? How often do you meditate on what life might have been like without Christ? Are you quick […]

Church is not that complicated

There are many ideas about how to do ministry (I receive new ideas on postcards and flyers virtually everyday in my mailbox and inbox). There have always been many diverse and divergent ideas about the priorities of ministry. The temptation is often to take a pragmatic approach to “make the church grow.” Now having dancing […]

Reading 2 Timothy

When persecution and trouble become temptations to become apathetic, a recommitment to the standard of God found in Scripture is in order. Since Paul is soon to leave the world through death, this “valedictory” letter of 2 Timothy also serves as a commission to Timothy to remain faithful to teach and preach the truth of […]

Reading 1 Timothy

Ephesus was an important city in ancient Asia Minor. It was a port city and had several major highways emanating from it, making it important economically in its day. It was also the center of pagan worship with the temple of Diana. It also was a cultural center with a major theater, a library, and […]