If my people…
““…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:13-14, NIV) This is America’s favorite Scripture in times of trouble or decision. […]
The Elephant in the Sanctuary
“Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season…“ (2 Timothy 4:2, NIV) There’s an elephant in the room at church. We don’t talk about it and we pretend it isn’t there, even though his peanut-breath is hard to miss. When I’m hanging out with other pastors, we talk about it, we just […]
Requiem for a Truck
I was in an automobile accident last week. Fortunately all parties are alright…except for my truck. That old, blue, 1999 Ford has passed from this life and I grieve her passing. It is true, she had seen better days. She had 250,000 miles on her. She had scratched paint. The headlining was beginning to droop. […]
Religion of Peace?
Catalyst readers: The Denton Record Chronicle recently published a “puff piece” on Islam (read it here ). If you attend New Life, you have heard me teach on the dangers of this religion. (I’m watching the news right now about another terrorist strike in France) There were so many false statements in this article, I […]
America’s “Self-Terrorism”
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not […]
On the Potter’s Wheel
At New Life Church, we’re studying the book of Jeremiah together this summer. The central question of the book is whether or not a society can live with complete disregard for moral and spiritual truth and not suffer the consequences of wickedness? It was a question worth asking back in 600 B.C., and a question […]
God and the Fairness Doctrine
“Lord, you always give me justice when I bring a case before you. So let me bring you this complaint: Why are the wicked so prosperous? Why are evil people so happy?“ (Jeremiah 12:1, NLT) Did your daddy tell you growing up that life isn’t fair? Mine did. He always said it as kind of […]
Terror Prayer
Terrorism, as a term, dates back to 18th Century France…but they didn’t invent it. It has been around since biblical times. The word terrorisme means “to frighten.” Sun-tzu, the master Chinese warrior from 2100 BC wrote in his book The Art of War, “Kill one, frighten 10,000.” The Assyrians and Babylonians, during Jeremiah’s day, were […]
God-Shaped Holes
““My people have committed a compound sin: they’ve walked out on me, the fountain of fresh flowing waters, and then dug cisterns— cisterns that leak, cisterns that are no better than sieves. “ (Jeremiah 2:13, The Message) Blaise Pascal famously said that we humans were created with a God-shaped hole in our souls. This longing/desire […]
Missing God?
“To what can I compare this generation?” That was the rhetorical question Jesus asked his followers. The answer: “They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’” (Matthew 11:16-17, NIV) I […]
You are a Gift from God
““Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”” (Jeremiah 1:5, NIV) I love this verse for many reasons, not the least of which is that it reminds us that a fetus is a human (by the […]
When God Hides
“Truly you are a God who hides himself, O God and Savior of Israel.“ (Isaiah 45:15, NIV) Do you ever feel like your prayers don’t make it past the ceiling? Ever feel like God is nowhere to be found? If you’ve walked with God very long at all, I know you’ve felt this way – […]
