In my 45 years of walking with Jesus, two spiritual practices have strengthened and encouraged my soul as much as anything else.What are those two practices? Memorizing God’s Word Meditating on God’s Word Memorizing God’s Word allows you to have it readily accessible 24/7. Find yourself troubled in the middle of the night? God’s Word is instantly…

“In everything give thanks.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 – NASB) I grew up Lutheran, and one of the traditions we had as a family was singing the Doxology before every Thanksgiving dinner. It set the tone, and it always reminded me that these “blessings” (visible and invisible) ultimately flow from God… and therefore He is to be…

Dear Friends, It’s been a while since I’ve posted some “Quotes to Note.” Here are a few that I pray will encourage and challenge you… “Even to your old age and grey hairsI am he, I am he who will sustain you.I have made you and I will carry you;I will sustain you and I will…

Steve Haas writes at Lausanne.org about the dangers that can come when our words and faith commitments become de-linked from our deeds and actions. One of several historical examples he points to includes Rwanda in the early 1990s, famously portrayed in the moving film Hotel Rwanda. Scripture tells us that coming to faith in Christ…

Easily one of the best books I have read this past year is Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Suffers by Dane Ortlund. It is filled with one profound truth after another. I’ve read it through twice and keep coming back to it for encouragement and nourishment for my own soul.…

TO GIVE PERSPECTIVE “Leadership and pastoral training in America is like opening another restaurant (there are plenty on virtually every corner). In the developing world, leadership and pastoral training is like opening a food pantry in the midst of starving people.” TO ENCOURAGE “All that is gold does not glitter Not all those who wander…

  “I have calmed and quieted and my soul, like a weaned child with its mother…” (Psalm 131:2 CSB) Blaise Pascal, the remarkable scientist, theologian and Christian of the seventeenth century, remarked in his Pensees (section 136) that “all the unhappiness of men arises from one single fact, that they cannot stay quietly in their…

Encouragement to live fully for God’s glory, all the way to the end “There are no sunset years for the Christian. Until the day you die, you have a race to run and a ministry to finish… So, straighten your back. Open your eyes. Brace your shoulders. And cry out, ‘I will not waste it!’”…

As we reflect on God’s goodness to us through the cross on this Good Friday 2021, here is a collection of Scriptures, quotes and one worship song to encourage and uplift you on this Resurrection weekend. “…and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and…

Two weeks ago, Global Training Network held its annual All-Staff Leadership Gathering via Zoom. Even with the virtual constraints, our team enjoyed a rich time of encouragement, thoughtful reflection and biblical challenge. I came away refreshed! In one of the sessions, I had the privilege of sharing a few thoughts about our values as a…