In one sense we have emerged from the season of Advent. In another sense, believers in Jesus live in a perpetual season of Advent. In our practices as a church, we observe “Advent” in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Advent is a time of anticipation of and preparation for the birth of Jesus, the…

As I was doing my daily Bible reading today, I read the beginning chapters of Jeremiah. In verse 8 of chapter one, I found this promise the LORD made to Jeremiah: “‘Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the LORD.” God was sending Jeremiah, possibly a…

We are living at an historic moment. October 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation! So, what happened in October 1517? And why pay any attention? Well, actually the Reformation spanned a much larger period of time than one month. But on October 31, 1517 in Germany Martin Luther took a very bold…

A solid foundation is essential for a structurally sound house. Everyone would agree to this in theory—Sue Ann and I faced this up close and personal! The first home we purchased was in Mesquite, Texas. Most foundations in the Dallas area are either pier-and-beam or slab; basements are virtually non-existent. Our home was on a…

From the rooftop of the  Extreme Response building where our team stayed, you could see a slice of Quito—a city of 2.7 million stretching 20 miles long and several miles wide through the Andes Mountains. Here we ministered to the poorest of the poor during my second week in Ecuador. But first things first: thank…