The Real Need of America
Election Day. Rumors are swirling, tempers are flaring, feelings of anticipation and dread are filling many minds and hearts. God's people must not recoil from the process. It is both...
The Best Hedge Against Inflation
Today there is one undeniable reality: inflation. Everyone has their opinion about the cause. Everyone has someone to blame - but inflation remains. Prices are skyrocketing, and politicians are scrambling...
Hymn History: Blest Be the Tie the Binds
"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard,...
Christians Should Vote!
As Americans citizens we have been blessed - spoiled, in fact - to grow up in freedom. It is a freedom that few have enjoyed throughout history and many will...
Don’t Stop Using the Altar!
It was a joy again yesterday to see people on their knees, seeking the Lord. There is something wonderfully refreshing about definite, united prayer among God’s people. In these strange...
Christians, the Constitution, and Our Country
A few days ago I put a copy of the United States Constitution in my briefcase as I left for a trip. On board a flight I determined to read...
Regathering the Flock
Sometimes God scatters His people. This is seen in the early church when believers were scattered because of persecution (Acts 8:4). But there is a huge difference between the scattering...
3 Things to Remember Behind the Mask
It is a strange day. I can't get use to seeing everyone in masks. The last few days I have been flying frequently and wearing my mandatory mask in airports...
So Much Insanity!
Have you watched the news lately? At times it seems that the whole world has gone crazy. Logic has disappeared and common sense is at an all-time low. Some say...
Encouragement from a Friend
These are unusual days for God's people and many are fighting discouragement. A dear friend who labors in a challenging part of the world recently shared an encouraging article full...
What To Do When The Crisis Has Passed
Perhaps like me you are beginning to get impatient or bored with the current state of things in our nation. A little stir crazy? We must remember that, like everything...
How’s Your “Screen Time”?
Mobile devices and on-demand media have changed our world forever. More specifically, they have changed our families and our lives. Homes no longer revolve around a big screen in the...
What Will Change In Your Life When This Is Over?
Did you know that the word "quarantine" actually comes from an Italian word that has biblical roots? It means 40 days - a reference to the 40 days of purification...
Join Us On This Important Call
"Nothing is more dreaded than the national government meddling with religion." These were the words of President John Adams in 1812 and they express a truth that translates well into...
Do What You Can Where You Are
We have become a nation of "shut-ins" in many ways. (This should make us more compassionate and caring of those who truly are shut-in and unable to ever leave their...
How Is Your Church “Meeting” At This Time?
This week I had the privilege of participating in an extended discussion with a group of pastors. These are unique times for those who are leading churches and feeding God's...
3 Talks To Have While You Are “Social Distancing”
Many of us are spending a little more time at home these days! The worldwide pandemic and resulting restrictions have cut down on travel, meetings, school, and a host of...
5 Things Every Church Member Can Do For Their Church Today
I rarely post on the Lord’s day, but this Sunday is an unusual day for many churches and church members. Social media has been filled this week with updates, instructions,...
Dealing With Fear
What is ahead? As I write these words the news is filled with stories related to the Coronavirus that is sweeping the globe and the downturn of financial markets. Mix...
A New Book On An Eternal Truth
Do you have a difficult time loving some people? Do you struggle to express love to others? Does it seem that even with those you love that your love falls...
3 Positive Ways To Use Your Social Media
There is a lot of negative talk in this world. Social media has only amplified it. Sadly, many believers use their social media just like those who do not know...
7 Excuses For Not Sharing Christ
This week I had the privilege of speaking at a special conference for revival and evangelism. My heart has been stirred and my hope renewed. Christ is still "able also...
The Danger Of Discontent
A friend remarked to me recently that men often struggle with discontentment. It is one of the deceiver's ways of leading us to things that God has not chosen for...
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...
What We Miss While We Are Looking At Our Phones
Have you noticed? Everyone is looking at their mobile device...constantly! In the grocery store. Around the dinner table. Driving down the road. Walking through town. Consumed with a digital world,...
The Danger Of Being Around Good People
I often hear it said, “They are good people.” This is a subjective statement, of course, because it is filtered by the person’s standard of goodness. We know from Scripture...
The Danger Of Conservative News
Have you heard the news today? It is easier than ever in our digital age to keep up with what is going on in the world. Usually if you listen...
On “Christian Celebrities” Renouncing Christ
A number of “Christian” celebrities have recently renounced their faith and begun to actively question the reality of God. Many are shocked and some are confused. What should we make...
Guest Post: Lessons Learned At The Bulletin Board
You are going to be encouraged by this wonderful article by my friend Dr. Charles Keen. A great deal of wisdom flows through nearly 60 years of ministry. Read more...
“Living My Truth”
The highlight story in a major magazine carried this title: "Living My Truth." It was the story of a transgender airline pilot who proudly boasted that he was now living...
How To Pray For The President
Yesterday I opened the USA Today to find a full page ad with the names of a wide range of religious leaders calling for a day of prayer for our...
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...
What Can We Do?
The bad news and news of bad people seems to keep piling up. Like many of you I am sickened this week by the blatant rebellion in our country against...
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...
What Is Your Drug Of Choice?
An opioid epidemic is now sweeping our nation. Everywhere I travel I read the horrific stories of death and destruction being caused by illegal drugs. Even as politicians and health...
It’s Family!
Family was God's idea. It is the perfect expression of the Heavenly Father's heart. "God setteth the solitary in families" (Psalm 68:6). From the beginning He knew that it was...
Guest Post: Longevity In The Pastorate
One of my spiritual fathers is my uncle, James Pauley. He has faithfully pastored the same church for nearly half a century. He is a man of prayer and a...
Cliques & Fraternities In The Church
One of the great stumbling blocks to the gospel and road blocks to revival is the party spirit that exists among many of God's people. This is more than human...
Are You Seeking God’s Direction For Some Decision?
At every stage on the journey we face crossroads - choices that will have long-lasting effects on both ourselves and others. Direction determines destination. There is never a day that...
“Is Drinking Alcoholic Beverages Right Or Wrong?” by Dr. Johnny Pope
This week on our "Enjoying the Journey" podcast I am dealing with what the Word of God says about alcohol. (You may subscribe or listen at enjoyingthejourney.org.) As an accompanying...
I Hate Alcohol!
Recently as I ministered in a beautiful southern city a local pastor began to describe all of the filth that has invaded their area. Immorality of every type. When I...
Take The Day Off!
Take the day off...Those are beautiful words. (Since you don’t work for me you should probably still show up for work today!) Why is it that we only seem to...
A Self-Made Man?
Society is full of people who speak as though they made themselves what they are. Churches are too. It is so easy to think that it was our own effort...
Put Up Your Sword
Our world and our churches are full of hurting people. Far too often those hurts have come from those who are supposed to be fighting in the same army. Friendly...
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...
Politics, Local Government, and Good Candidates
Two months from today is primary election day in West Virginia. While I do not believe that politics is the answer for our nation, I am convinced that believers should...
“When the Cameras Were Off”
In recent years we have seen an epidemic of high profile people committing terrible acts. Preachers, politicians, prominent entertainers, powerful business people. It seems the news is always new and...
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...
How To Keep the Next Generation
A fellow preacher and personal friend asked me recently how I believed we could do a better job of retaining young people in our churches. It is a problem of...
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,...
3 Things I Am Praying for My Words
Words are powerful things. Spoken, written, typed, or texted - they are vehicles of communication that tend to last. If not on paper, in the hearts and minds of others....
One Thing I Do Not Do With Social Media
Some time ago a friend said to me, "Do you ever have a bad day?" I laughed. Of course, we all have bad days. When I inquired as to why...
Think First!
As children we were always instructed to think before we speak. Now, with children of my own, I realize that this is good advice for adults too. This simple rule...
My Advice to Church Staff Members
Over the last few weeks I have had the privilege of spending time with a number of church staff members in the places where I have been preaching. This is...
A Spoiled Generation
Recently I drove through the cemetery where all of my grandparents are now buried. I paused for a few moments at each grave and thought of the heritage they had...
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...
How to Make This A Great School Year
Our children have just begun a new year at a new school. We have been blessed to have had our children in a wonderful school through the years and are...
Medals and Crowns
Like many people around the world I have watched with great interest the Olympic Games in Rio. Particularly the medal count! It is the talk everywhere I go...Which nation has...
A Christian’s Duty to Law Enforcement
We have had many dear friends though the years who serve in law enforcement. I was reminded again this week that those who protect and serve are special people. They...
Integrity: Standing True In a Shifting World
Many years ago I was driving through the town I grew up in with my mother in the front seat and my sister in the back seat. I was driving...
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...
A Memorial Day Meditation
Like many Americans I had the opportunity today to go by the cemetery where our family members are buried. The rolling hills were decorated with flowers and flags. It seems...
The Battle That Never Ends
As a young Christian I imagined that some day it would get easier. My flesh would not rear its ugly head; the world would not seem as attractive; the devil...
Identity Matters
We are living in a day of identity confusion. Gender confusion. Political confusion. Doctrinal confusion. A confusion of roles within the family. Confusion seems to be the order of the...
Are the Progressives Really Progressing?
Let's clear the air...No, this is not a post about politics. And, no, I am not a progressive. With our current political climate the term "progressive" has been in the...
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...
3 Dangers of Technology Overload and What to Do About It
Look around you. Heads are bowed. People are quiet. No, they are not praying. They are all looking at the device in their hands! The technological advances of the last...
A Word for Christians about President’s Day
President's Day should be a reminder to pray. To pray for our president and for our nation. It is easy to complain. It takes no effort to criticize. But prayer...
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...
