I once saw a grown man working out on an ab crunch machine in the gym while eating a giant cookie.  Many of us want spiritual fruit the same way folks want abs every January—quickly, easily, and preferably without having to change much about our habits or daily routine. We want the results without the process. We want apples without planting the trees, a harvest without waiting on the weather, and Christlike character without the slow, steady work God does in our hearts. We w

It was hard to write about the virtues and vices of Saul and David . I saw myself in many of the negatives and only a few of the positives. But to write about the character of Jesus, now that takes a whole other level of daring. He doesn’t present to us character as we are. That was the purpose of writing on Saul and David. Jesus Christ presents to us the character of what we may become. So as you read this, please remember that I’m just doing my best. My presentation of Jesu

Saul looked the part. David was formed in hidden places. One had stature, image, and public strength. The other had been shaped by God in fields, caves, failure, and repentance. This post explores a searching question for every Christian—and especially every church leader: What holds a person up when the pressure comes?

9th in the Wide Witness, Deep Root Series There is a reason nobody hangs a swing from a branch of a hollow tree. A branch like that may look sturdy enough from a distance. It may still have bark. It may still have leaves. But if you hang real weight on it, the branch gives way, the rotten tree comes down, and somebody ends up in the begonias. A lot of modern discipleship feels exactly like that. We want fruit before fiber. We want visible sweetness before invisible strength.

We all follow someone. But following Jesus is not like following someone on social media. It is totally different.

Repentance is a change of mind and attitude that results in a change of life and actions.

For many, including me, the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is the bedrock of the Christian faith.

Messiah: The promised savior and deliverer, foretold in the Old Testament scriptures, who is believed to be the anointed one of God, sent...

I believe that the content of the good news of the kingdom of God can be put into nine essential elements.

You will discover three central truths about the kingdom of God and why it matters.

I’ll give you a tried-and-true way to get further along in one area of your life in 2023. You pick the area and work the seven-step plan.

“…Let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us.” (Hebrews 12:1b, CSB) Most people have heard of the 12 Steps...