Active Faith

Living Legacies of Thankfulness and Faith

“Circle of Life” is a song from Disney’s 1994 animated film The Lion King. It’s the story of Mufasa, king of the Pride Lands and the father of Simba. During his reign, Mufasa was killed by his envious brother Scar. Mufasa taught his son Simba how past kings lived in the stars and would always be there to guide him in times of need. Despite his death, Mufasa endures in the memories of his loved ones. We can all see Mufasa sitting on the top of the mountain overlooking the kingdom as Elton John is singing the following lyrics.   […]

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Eternity Is Written on Our Hearts

“Everybody has their thing,” my pastor said during our staff meeting one particular Tuesday as we were going over prayer requests that had been turned in the previous Sunday. A look around the table, I knew we, the staff of our church, were each carrying our own concerns as we met to lift up the burdens of others. We read off each request – failing health, unsaved family members, divorce, job changes – so many heavy weights, each a jumbotron scrolling the same headline: This is not how it’s supposed to be! Eternity and Unity I think that’s part of […]

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Franklin Graham: Our Unchanging God

It was a distinct privilege to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ this summer in London, where my father first preached in 1954. Thousands came to hear the Word of God, and His Spirit worked to bring hundreds to saving faith. We praise God! While in England, I was invited to appear on the TV program “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” broadcast by the BBC to a large audience. I have been with Piers in the past when he was with another network, and he certainly can ask some penetrating questions. Among the topics we discussed was a Gallup poll […]

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The Second Mile

“Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two” (Matthew 5:41 NKJV). The phrase going the second mile has found its way into our modern vernacular. Its roots are found all the way back in first-century Palestine. The Romans had conquered most of the Mediterranean world. One of the marvels of their conquest was a vast system of superhighways that they had built for travel to and from their conquered territories. There were more than fifty thousand miles of these Roman roads throughout the Empire. At each single mile was a stone marker. These mile markers pointed directions, […]

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The Mission and The Storm

I was falling asleep the other evening and thinking about all the “storms” we have been facing over the past few years. Many of the storms have caught national and international attention. Some of the storms are personal and private. However, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and depressed…. perhaps a bit exhausted with the relentless waves of heavy and painful stories. I ,once again, like to reflect on a very familiar story that has been with me all my life (I originally published this a few years ago…..so, I guess it’s as relevant today as it was then). Jesus […]

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Liberated from the Incarceration of “IF ONLY”

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3).   We all have an inner critic that must be kept in check if we are going to live lives for the glory of God and the good of others, including ourselves. Because we are broken people living in a broken world with other broken people, our lives will inevitably be marked by brokenness, personally, professionally and relationally.     Our inner critic One of the favorite focal points for our inner critic comes under the heading of If only. Satan loves […]

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Grateforgetfulness

Imagine with me that you are experiencing some type of chronic pain.  The pain is excruciating and without cure. The pain has affected every aspect of your life. You are no longer able to work, except in some very limited capacity and your dream job is gone. The pain has affected every relationship you have, including your marriage and family. You are unable to embrace your loved ones and feel their touch. Loneliness has become your constant companion. Your loved ones and best friends make every effort to live up to the expectations you have of them, but they have become weary […]

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Special Delivery

Yes, I played cowboys and Indians as a child; yes, I always wanted to play the first because, reasonably enough, a gun is preferred to a bow. Yes, I shot the Indian many times, who was played by my best friend Raúl. And yes, he always went unscathed during my search and destroy missions, which meant the battle continued for many months until we matured into flipping baseball cards. Yes, I am guilty. But if the truth be told, a cowboy was not my first preference. What I really wanted to be was a pony express rider, but there was […]

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The Heart of Worship

The truest model of worship is love Himself — Jesus. It’s evident that Jesus loves through the eyes of His Father, yet the only way He knows the heart of His Father is by being in the secret place, deepening His knowledge of God.   Love As we read in the Scriptures, we see that our first act of worship is love. The way that Jesus walks stems from that understanding of love. Christ Himself says it in Matthew 22:37-38, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your […]

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Do you know where you’re going?

Normally I offer what some may consider nonsensical in contrast to the big picture. I offer this story that may be second or third hand, but the message is the important thought that I’m confident is direct and authentic. Where is God going with us? When Billy Graham was 92 years-old, he was struggling with Parkinson’s disease. In January, a month before his 93rd birthday, leaders in Charlotte, North Carolina, invited their favorite son, Billy Graham to a luncheon in his honor. Billy initially hesitated to accept the invitation because of his struggles with Parkinson’s disease. But the Charlotte leaders […]

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