The Simplicity of Systems in Life

Dr. Gary Hewins
11 Jun 2018
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Systems dictate behavior. Systems make your decision-making easier. The absence of systems in your life only adds to the complexity of your life. No systems — no simplicity. If your life is out of balance and hurried, then you need a system, or you need to work the system you forgot about. If you are really busy but not all that productive then you need a system. Systems don’t have much sizzle, but we need them. A system is a well thought out plan. God developed systems and operated within their parameters. God was systematic in creating the universe and […]

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Good News and Bad News, Bad News First

Dr. Gary Hewins
1 May 2018
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If you were to write a letter to the high-profile men who have recently wronged women in our culture, and you knew that your words would be read, what would you write? Wait a minute; that was way too abrupt… what would you write after you had really prayed about the content of your letter? All over our land, little boys are rising each morning to eat their breakfast, get ready for school, and sometimes even groom their hair. The dark influence of our culture awakens each morning to “school” and, yes, even to “groom” our little boys to see […]

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Scotland and Marjory Stoneman Douglas

Dr. Gary Hewins
10 Apr 2018
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I recently invested a morning with middle school students in Dundee, Scotland. Having been welcomed into their new school, we discussed life, aspiration and faith. I told them that they could ask me any question and I would tell them the absolute truth. They wanted to know why we, in America, have school shootings. They wanted a discussion concerning the recent tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. They wanted real answers as to why we have guns in America. This reality does not compute in Scotland.   Wanting to give them an explanation, I discussed the reason why we […]

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College Football in Hebrew?

Dr. Gary Hewins
1 Feb 2018
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My wife Angie and I recently watched the College Football National Championship in Hebrew. That’s right, Kirk Herbstreit’s voice was covered over with Hebrew color commentary. To many, the Alabama-Georgia game was already of a biblical proportion, but the added Old Testament feel was certainly interesting. My wife and I are fairly passionate about being football fans as I would guess you may be as well. While leading a biblical study tour of Israel, we arose at 3 a.m. to join the rest of the Bulldog Nation back in the States in rooting Georgia to their first National Championship since […]

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Looking at Time a Little Differently

Dr. Gary Hewins
5 Jan 2018
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Time can definitely fly. Time can seemingly slow down. Time can easily get wasted. Time is often relied upon to do something it has absolutely no ability to do. Time, in no way, shape, or form, can “heal all wounds.” I know we hear that often, but such a cliché is really, really wrong. In fact, time cannot heal anything. Time is not a person; it has no desire, agenda or motivation. Time feels nothing, says nothing and longs for nothing. Time doesn’t “heal all wounds.” God does. “…I am the God that healeth thee” (Exodus 15:26).   Healer The […]

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The Messy Side of Christmas

Dr. Gary Hewins
5 Dec 2017
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Over the objections of my fellow workers, I start playing Christmas music in the office in October. Some Christmas music immediately brings me back to special moments as a boy in wintery Michigan. Christmas is a very special season to me. I know that Christmas has been hijacked by mass marketing, materialism and all of that, but with just a little effort, one can easily enjoy the richness of our Savior moving from a heavenly realm into the mire of our human dilemma by reviewing the scriptures.   Edict If considered, the events leading up to the birth of Christ […]

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Shouldn’t Nonprofits be Profitable?

Dr. Gary Hewins
2 Nov 2017
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I have always found the term “nonprofit” to be potentially misleading. This term seems to say that organizations that help others shouldn’t really have much if anything beyond their needs. “Nonprofit” seems to say, be careful, you are only supposed to get by and always be in need. Jesus didn’t operate with such tight margins. He seemed excessive at times. Did those at the wedding reception in Cana really need 180 gallons of wine? Did the 12 baskets of leftover bread get to where it was needed before spoiling? Jesus made sure that excess wasn’t wasted. The 153 fish didn’t […]

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5 Things Parents & Pastors Need to Agree Upon

Dr. Gary Hewins
31 Aug 2017
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Do you want your son or daughter thriving in a church family when they are in their late 20’s or would you rather spend hours in prayer that they would return to the church? Do you want your grandchildren raised in the church or do you want them asking their parents what a church is? Parents typically spend more time talking with a public school teacher about the well-being of their child than they do with ministers called to spiritually nurture their child. The time has come for pastors to interact with parents on a whole new level. After twenty […]

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Did Forrest Gump Get It Right?

Dr. Gary Hewins
8 Aug 2017
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“I am not a smart man Jenny, but I know what love is,” said the fairly, simple-minded Forrest Gump. Who would disagree that living our lives in love is the most important calling upon each of us? Maybe Forrest Gump did have it figured out, but I am not sure I have quite mastered living a life of love. I am a work in progress. How about you? The very subject of love has its challenges. Love means so many different things to each of us. We each were “taught” love as a child and we each “caught” love as […]

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What Should We Expect of Our Preachers?

Dr. Gary Hewins
27 Jun 2017
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Show me a nation with weak preaching and I will show you a nation in trouble. Wherever the church is weak around the globe, the darkness appears strong. This is true because “righteousness exalts a nation” (Proverbs 14:34). Identify a country with a weak church and you will likely find several common killers; spiritual apathy, watered down preaching, a corrupt government, violence in the streets and people robbed of their God-ordained dreams. Most of us live in a church environment where we are conditioned and encouraged to discover new and innovative ways of reaching our culture with the glorious gospel. […]

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