5 Reflections on Life and Death
This year has been a year of loss. In God's economy, loss is so often gain if we are ready to receive it. Somewhere in the midst of loss there...
Hymn History: Abide With Me
"But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.” – Luke 24:29...
New Book Release!!!
Dreams. Opportunity. Favor. Power. Blessings. Purpose. Jealousy. Conflict. Betrayal. Temptation. Prison. Difficulty. All of this and much more is found in the story of Joseph. His is a representative life...
Your Kids Grow You.
Last night was a very special night for me and Tammy. For more than twenty years we had the privilege of being a part of the work of God at...
What Will This Year Hold?
Some "woke" theologians have decided of late to criticize the well known commentator Matthew Henry. While there are some things I would not fully agree with in his writings, I...
Days, Years, and Our 2022 Schedule
Welcome to 2022! Moses wrote that "we spend our years as a tale that is told" and today we have begun another chapter in that story. In that same Scripture,...
Takeoff and Landing
Air travel has become more than a luxury for our mobile society. It has, for many, become a necessity to business and commerce. Like the Roman roads of Paul's day...
Hitting the Pause Button
There are moments when we all need to hit the pause button. Life races on and, if we are not intentional and careful, we lose the joy and purpose of...
Bible Guideposts
“I know where I’m going.” Famous last words - just before the embarrassing admission that we have lost our way! Along the journey of life we all need direction. Sometimes...
The Real Issue
It is fitting that at the time of year when we celebrate the birth of Christ there is a renewed discussion on the sacredness and dignity of every child. Herod...
Do We Really See Them?
Life is busy and days are a blur. We rush from place to place - constantly moving past masses of humanity, people everywhere! But, do we really see them? Jesus...
“Prayer Is Still the Answer.”
This afternoon a memorial service will be conducted for a man who was used of God to encourage me greatly. Pastor Dave McCoy served for forty years at the People's...
Do You Want to Have a Great Week?
Today is actually not the beginning of the week...yesterday was. Sunday is the first day of the week! Like all of life each week is to begin with worship. I...
Days That Change You Forever
There are days in life that change you. God in His providence causes certain days to stand out in our memory as turning points. The day you are married is...
It Is Time To Move On!
Recently I had the privilege to talk and pray with a kind Christian lady where I was speaking. This sincere believer wondered if one decision in her past would prevent...
3 Times to Yield
Our son has just passed his driver's test and is now officially taking our prayer life to new heights! It is hard to believe that all of our children are...
He Only Lived to 33.
Life is a vapor for every man, but for the God-Man it was especially brief. A short thirty-three and a half years was all that He lived on this earth....
The Next Leg of the Race
Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Each phase of the race is both distinct and essential to the whole. We have begun, in many respects, the next leg of...
What Does GOD Think of Abortion?
Yesterday was the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. In less than a half a century over 61 million babies have been put to death by abortion. This barbarity parades...
How To Make The Most Of This Season In Life
Seasons are marked by change. The autumn leaves turning colors and falling to the ground are a reminder to us all that time is passing. And while we love some...
You Can Learn a Lot About Life In a Garden
Grant decided he was going to plant a garden this year. His very own. He wanted to work it from scratch and use no plants, just seeds. The primitive,...
Help For Life And For Death
He was only 39 years old when he died, but he looked much older. War will do that to a man. His death by human logic was unnecessary and untimely...
No Substitute For Time
We are fast approaching the season of the year where vast sums of money will be spent on things. More stuff. Newer stuff. Nicer stuff. But, just stuff. It would...
Life’s Delays
Delayed. One of the most dreaded words in air travel. It glares in yellow letters from the airport monitors. The very word sounds like what it represents - a long...
Welcome to Spring!
That's right. No matter where you are or how cold it is, today is officially the first day of spring! The first of warmer, brighter days ahead...we hope. The seasons...
Questions You Can’t Answer
Why did Jesus wait until He was 30 years of age to begin His ministry when He was so full of wisdom at the age of 12? Why did the...
Finding Your Way
Frequently I hear it said of someone that he is still trying to “find his way” in life. Our world is full of aimless drifters and empty souls. Another toy....
God Hates Abortion
A pastor that is being mightily used of God told me this week that doctors had advised his parents to abort him. Today, I am thinking not only of the...
Reflections On The Death Of My Childhood Friend
Last night I was asked to share a few thoughts at a memorial service for one of my childhood friends. Ramie and I attended kindergarten through high school together. He...
The Danger Of Shipwreck
As I ran along the coast in a Florida community some time ago I saw one of the most vivid reminders of the dangers of life. The sun was shining...
ALL NATURAL???
In our day of cheap facades, strange additives, and generic substitutes it is appealing when anyone offers something that is completely natural. Entire brands are now built on the idea...
A Man Who Learned To Enjoy The Journey
They were called "the Big Red Machine" when I was a little boy. It was the days before the baseball strike and before Pete Rose was kicked out of the...
Birthday Meditations
Birthday celebrations are special, especially when you get to enjoy them with family. The older I get the more my celebrations turn to meditations. (They tell me that reflection is...
“Thank You, God, For 13 Years”
Today is my son's 13th birthday. We have had a wonderful time celebrating this week as a family. How could we have three teenagers?! I asked Grant to lead us...
What Is The Most Important Lesson You Have Learned?
As I write these words I am sitting in northern Michigan. It is a beautiful summer day at camp. This morning at breakfast I had an engaging conversation with a...
You Have To Work Hard To Keep It Simple
He was an engineer who had been responsible for the invention of things too intricate for me to understand. Yet the message he conveyed to me was one that I...
Guest Post: “When Two Worlds Collide”
Mark Fowler and his wife Stephanie have been special friends to me and Tammy since college. The Lord is using them to lead a growing church in Elizabethton, TN. We...
A Big Day
Tomorrow is a big day for our family. In just a few hours Lauren will turn 16 and Morgan will graduate from high school. As a dad it is both...
Too Much News!
This generation has grown accustomed to the 24-hour news cycle. Our eyes, ears, minds, and emotions are bombarded by the constant flow of headlines and pictures. We know more detail...
Truths for Travelers: Lessons Learned On the Road
As many of you know I spend a good deal of time on the road. Another frequent traveler, the Apostle Paul, once wrote, “all things are yours” (1 Corinthians 3:21-22)....
Special Announcement!
I am so very excited about the news I am going to share with you today! At the beginning of this year we began a daily podcast to promote the...
A Devotional Truth for the Evening
Every close to the day is a reminder that God has not failed or forsaken us. Weariness should remind us that His strength was sufficient. Memories should remind us that...
A Devotional Truth for the Morning
I am in another time zone this morning. Next week I will be in a time zone ten and a half hours different from home! It is easy for mornings...
A Reminder for 2018
Today is the last day of the first week of a new year. Imagine each year as a puzzle with fifty-two pieces. The first piece is now in place. Recently...
3 Marks of True Friends
As a boy, I heard an older man say, "If you have a handful of true friends in life you are a wealthy person." At the time I thought it...
Taken For Granted
We take family for granted…until they are gone. We take health for granted…until it is broken. We take sleep for granted…until it refuses to come. We take children for granted…until...
Suicide is More Than A Statistic
Suicide is up 300% from my father's generation. Over the last few months I have read an alarming number of articles on the suicide rate in our nation. A quick...
Ideas for Keeping Yourself Fresh
Living on the road can be a challenge. In fact, life itself is a challenge! The duties and demands of every day. The pull and pressure of people. It is...
Departures, Delays, and Detours
Someone said to me not long ago, "You must really love to travel!" Anyone who has spent much time on the road will tell you that the initial thrill and adventure...
Free Audio Book of Philippians
This months resource is one of my favorites. In fact, it is my favorite book of the Bible! One of my instructors in college said that his favorite book of...
My Final Trip
Late last night I returned from meetings in Georgia and Tennessee. Soon I will leave for another appointment in Ohio. It is a way of life in itinerant evangelism. A...
A Post By My 17 Year Old Daughter
Tammy and I thank the Lord for our children. Like every parent we pray that they will desire to follow Christ. More and more I understand the words of John,...
What I Learned Clearing a Fence Row
Over the last few months we have been clearing a fence row around our new home. The underbrush was thick and the work was slow going. Thanks to my dad's...
What to Do When Everything Changes
This past year has been a year of change in my life. Our home has changed. My work has changed. Schedules, routines, and so much that had been familiar was...
How to Make the Most of the New Year
A special hour-glass sits on the desk in my study. It was a gift from my family and means a great deal to me. It actually measures fifteen minutes of time...
3 Truths to Remember When You Are Disappointed
Life in a fallen world is full of disappointments. Situations don't always turn out the way you hope. The best people let you down. Your own intentions fail to become...
How I Am Voting (and you should too)
This week I am preaching a revival meeting in the Washington, D.C. area. My heart has been stirred afresh. The future of our nation hangs in the balance. In just...
A Word of Encouragement for Single Adults
For a time in our ministry Tammy and I had the privilege of working in the single adult department of our church. We had watched many of these young adults...
90 Days and Counting
28,835. That is the estimated number of days the average American now lives. Sounds like a long time, doesn't it? Until you start figuring up how many days you have...
7 Thoughts to Consider When You Are “Bored”
We live each day between two extremes. On one hand we fight the danger of idleness; on the other, the danger of busyness. Someone once said, "It is not so...
Dealing with Disappointment – Part I
We all have them. Disappointments are a part of life in an imperfect world. Every day we face the possibility of disappointment with circumstances, people, and even ourselves. It may...
Run Your Race!
About five months ago I did something I have never done - I started running. I should have started years ago. While physically it has helped me, I am amazed...
Still Enjoying the Journey
About four years ago I began blogging. I have been more regular at times than at others, but it has been a good exercise for me. Many friends have been...
An Open Letter to Our Friends
December 18, 2015 The Lord has been very gracious to me and to my family. Twenty-one years ago I came to Powell, Tennessee to attend Crown College. It was here...
Along the Journey
We are in the midst of planning our annual family vacation. Some of my fondest childhood memories surround family trips. There is a certain adventure to it all! My wife...
The Distraction of Entertainment
It is so very easy to be distracted. We begin with determination, the best of intentions. We concentrate. And then it comes. Not always in the form of some evil...
The Most Important Work I Have to Do Every Day
If your days are like mine they often resemble a whirlwind of people and tasks. Correspondence. Problems. Phone calls. Appointments. Projects. Meetings. Decisions. Life can become very crowded at times!...
Learning to Say, “No”
As a young man beginning in the ministry I heard my pastor say that one of the most difficult things to discern was what to eliminate. At the time, I...
A Trip to Mayberry
Beating Morgan in a game of checkers next to Floyd's Barber Shop We have just returned from a couple of days away with the family. Travels...
The Years Are Passing Too Quickly
I know, I know - I sound like an old man. Suddenly all of the things I heard the "old people" say years ago are making so much sense! Last...
The Rising Death Toll
I enjoy laughter and love life. I wish that every thought could be a happy one. But that is not the world in which we live. Ours is a day...
Great Expectations
Charles Dickens' classic novel Great Expectations is on my Kindle. I must confess that I have read...and stopped reading the story several times through the years. It is a strange book....
Ebb and Flow: Dealing with Changing Tides
There are few things as refreshing to me as standing on the shore and watching the ocean waves. I have always loved it. In Scripture the sea represents change. It...
How to Make the Most of the New Year
Another "how to" post? Not exactly. There will be no formula. No equation. No list. No step by step instructions. But there is a truth - one powerful truth -...
Finishing Well
Earlier today our students at Crown College completed their final exams and departed for Christmas break. There is something terribly exciting about the successful conclusion to another semester of college....
What I Learned at the Dead Sea
My dad and I had the privilege to be part of training several Iraqi pastors a number of years ago. For over a week we taught a group of men...
Dealing with the “Noise” of Life
Ours is a noisy world. Growing up in the country there were certain noises you grew accustomed to. Crickets chirping at night. Birds singing in the trees. The sound of...
What About Eternity?
A friend and I were enjoying a time of fellowship together just a few days ago. During the conversation I asked about a man who had been a pastor in...
A Word for Young People About Parents
Like most children, when I was very young, I memorized the Ten Commandments. The fifth commandment says, “Honour thy father and thy mother.” It is repeated eight times in the...
Acres of Diamonds
When I was thirteen years old an elderly preacher in the mountains of West Virginia gave me a book. It was old and dusty. There were no pictures and at...
Dealing with Goodbyes
Goodbyes are hard. I was standing in a security line at an airport not long ago preparing to go through the regular process that has become so much a part...
Christianity is a Crutch
Recently I was in Vancouver, British Columbia for a meeting. On Saturday night I had a little time alone at the hotel and decided to do the Christian (and Canadian)...
The Changing Seasons of Life
Fall is my favorite time of the year. At least in the fall! I actually love all of the seasons and am blessed to live in a part of the...
3 Days I Never Want to Forget
Every day is a precious gift from God. Even difficult days are reminders of God's mercy and grace. I have enjoyed some wonderful days along the journey. June 13, 1997...
Aquila and Priscilla: A Biblical Marriage
God’s design is for families to serve Christ together in a New Testament church. As we find our place in the Lord’s work, every member of the family is blessed...
Why I Write In A Journal Every Day
At the end of 2008 I decided that I would try to begin writing in a journal each day. I am sitting in my study tonight looking back through old...
Advice for High School Seniors
The senior year of high school can be both frightening and exciting. I love talking and praying with young people at this stage in life. Following the Lord is a...
A Remedy for Every Fear
Google the word phobia. Fear has reached epidemic proportions. Millions of Americans live in fear every day. Worse, many believers have become content with allowing fear to control their lives. The first...
The Urgency of Youth
My favorite group of people to speak to is young people. There is something special about their energy, their authenticity. Some time back I was preaching to a fine group...
Lessons God Is Teaching Me about My Family – Part 2
Home is the greatest classroom on earth...and not just for the children. Every day there is more to learn, and our failures serve to remind us that we have not...
Lessons God Is Teaching Me about My Family – Part 1
The kids are growing up so quickly. At the same time I feel like I am getting old so quickly! Life moves along at a rapid pace and God is...
Thoughts on the Home-going of My Uncle
Family is a very precious thing. I have been blessed with a wonderful heritage that I hope, by God's grace, to pass on to my children. Last night I stood...
A Faithful Man
On this Father's Day my heart is full of gratitude for my dad. He has always been my best friend, but he is also the best man I know. He has...
Discipline Makes the Difference
Through the years that I have been privileged to work in a Bible college I have met so many extremely talented, capable young people. And yet, it has always puzzled...
Making Your Life Count
Winter is a strange time in Knoxville, Tennessee. Snow one hour...sunshine the next. This morning I awoke to see a thick, freezing fog. The Lord reminded me of one of...
The Luggage of Life
It is my privilege to do a great deal of travel. Through the years I have learned it is best to travel light. Luggage slows you down and weighs you...
Forward On The Journey!
Walking with God is a life long journey. I am very grateful that along the way there are people who come along side to encourage us. So many distractions would...
Having Good Days in the Midst of Evil Days
One of the great privileges of serving at Crown College through the years has been the opportunity to hear so many wonderful Bible messages. Pastor Sexton brings faithful preachers to...
