Recently my family was honored to participate in my son’s ordination to the Gospel ministry. After heeding a call from God, enduring seven years of higher education and gaining quality experiences, his church in Topeka, Kansas felt it was time…
Confessions of a dysfunctional decorator
With apologies to all self-help movements, my name is Mike, and I am a dysfunctional decorator. When it comes to wall colors, any shade of blue works for me. Left to my own devices, I would paint all the walls…
The red inferno
I am totally engulfed in the red inferno. Flames of red and ribbons of yellow lick at my skin, yet I remain cool and indifferent to its intense heat of color. As I strain to look up, up, up, my…
Seven Reasons Why Christians Should Celebrate ‘Halloween’
Is celebrating a holiday that honors ghouls, demons, ghosts, and everything that goes bump in the night dangerous or even evil? Somewhere, in the halls of history, Halloween or All Hallows Eve, got hijacked. What started as a day to…
Why we love the paranormal
What is it about the paranormal that Americans find so fascinating? A Gallup poll found that about 75% of Americans believe in the paranormal (ghosts, telepathy, clairvoyance, astrology, etc…) Nearly 50% believe in ghosts and 41% believe in extrasensory perception….
Why the “nones” are leaving church, but not God
It should make any established American denomination panic: the dramatic increase in number of Americans leaving organized religion. In 2007, the percentage of the religious unaffiliated was around 15% and now that number is around 20% according to a new…
Daily Bible reading is a life changing practice
Often I am asked, “What can I do to grow as a Christian?” There are several things that may help you grow in your faith but one of the most important things is to read the Bible everyday. Sounds simple…
The day I was cursed at in church
In ministry, one day is always different from the next. Sometimes, there are wonderful and rewarding experiences. Other times, there are difficult experiences. I’ll never forget the day I was cursed at in church. Samuel L. Jackson style. I was…
Your Kingdom Come…
I’ve been thinking about one phrase in The Lord’s Prayer: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” The longer I ponder the words, the more I become convinced of a few matters. The…
Social media can change spiritual habits
Remember to enter to win a free copy of my new Judson Press book. Even though 89% of American households have a Bible, the number of those who read it daily is very low. A new study released by LifeWay…
Redefining what it means to be great
Pride is essentially competitive; it’s competitive by its very nature. We are not prideful because we are rich, clever, or good-looking. We are prideful because we think we are richer, clever-er, and better-looking. It’s the comparison that makes us proud….
The intentional gardener
It takes a lot of nerve to ask Sunday school teachers to tend to a zinnia seedling for two months when you’ve got dead ivy sitting in your kitchen window. But it was too perfect an exercise to underscore the…