Active Faith

Franklin Graham: They Did the Right Thing

Remember this date: June 24, 2022.  This is the day that the United States Supreme Court made the historic decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Finally, after 49 years of prayer from millions of people, and the unceasing work of the pro-life movement, the court voted to strike down one of the most horrific and egregious rulings in the history of our nation.  In so doing, the high court upheld a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks (Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization), and then went on to overturn the infamous 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. With the decisiveness […]

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Use me, Lord.

We go through life, and it can be a wonderful journey if we take in the sights. Sometimes we are in such a hurry to reach our destination we don’t notice things along the way. A hectic life is like that. My curiosity often gets the best of me, and it’s the journey, not the travel. I’ve spent the majority of my life in and around the allied fields of entertainment. It’s an industry that moves the needle. I like that. When in reflection or in Bible Study, my mind does a 360⁰ and I seek the lesson, not so […]

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Living In-Dependence

In our country, we celebrate American Independence Day on July 4th. This represents the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the day the Continental Congress approved the final wording of this important document. The Colonists, having already declared their independence from the authority and tyrannical rule of the British crown on July 2nd, 1776, two days later, 56 delegates to the Continental Congress signed their names to the parchment paper.  In-Dependence On God Now as important as this day is in the life of our great nation for our independence, I pray we will be reminded to declare our […]

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Why We Worship

About five years ago I found myself deeply challenged by some questions that a friend raised about the way we did church. “Why do we have to have a sermon? And why does there have to be music? Why are we doing church like this and is there a better way to do it?” I had been leading worship for almost ten years at that point and found this question both disturbing and exciting. Why were we doing congregational worship the way we were doing it? Do we even need music in our gatherings? Are we just giving people a […]

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Stress: Five Fascinating Facts

(Scroll down to leave a comment on stress.) “James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the 12 tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings” (James 1:1 NKJV). Stress! Perhaps no other word is used as much to describe the culprit, the scapegoat, the excuse of modern man. Many of the problems in our homes and with our health seem to relate to this stress factor. But stress has been around through the ages.  Note, for instance, that James addressed his epistle “to the 12 tribes which are scattered abroad,” to those early Christians who had fled […]

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Don’t Worry; Get Busy Living!

(Scroll down to leave a comment on how you don’t worry and start living.) I love old movies. The reasons I love them is because they were well made, included great story telling, great acting, and no matter how many times I watch them, they always seem so fresh. Some of them have deep moral lessons we can apply to our everyday life. Recently, I was watching one of my old favorites made in 1994, “The Shawshank Redemption.” In the same year, it was overshadowed by the movie “Forrest Gump,” which received many Oscars at The Academy Awards. However, “The […]

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The Blessing of a Little Shabbat Shalom

One of my favorite memories of living in Israel was experiencing Shabbat. Fridays were hectic as everyone finished their shopping, cleaning and cooking in preparation for family gatherings and a day of rest. The stores would close by 4:00 p.m. so that shoppers and workers could catch that last bus home. And just as the sun was setting — as the roads emptied of cars and buses and synagogues filled up for prayer — you could hear off in the distance the Shabbat whistle, alerting the whole city that Shabbat had begun. Because Jerusalem’s population includes such a high percentage […]

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Remember

At the end of every year, I commit myself to a time of prayer to discern a word from the Lord to focus on in the coming year. I find that word can sustain and act as a guiding light for me as an individual, Kim and I as a couple, and even for OneHope.  Last year, my word was accelerate. As a visionary, I was looking forward to another energizing word like that. Instead, the Lord surprised me as He began to impress the word remember on my heart. Soon, I began to notice the word everywhere – in […]

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One Thing Is Necessary

How many things are on your to-do list right now? Go ahead, think about the pressing tasks for a moment. Stuff to do, people to call, things to fix, flabby bodies to whip back into shape (maybe just me?) — anybody else working on a little home reconstruction over the past couple of months? Maybe you’re thinking about the many needs of the people around you. Mothers, fathers, teachers, pastors, leaders — how much have you felt the burdens of those near and dear to you recently? Worship leaders, how many setlists, recorded worship times, and team Zoom calls do […]

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Dads: Iron Men

Dads are not from the Marvel Comic Universe but are expected to perform like they are. It’s not easy to be a dad. There is no orientation for the job. It comes with moments of joy and pain. Often you get blamed for things you know nothing about, or you are expected to be a problem solver with or without experience. There are no manuals. However, the best possible, closest thing to a manual, that will give you some directions is the bible. For example, consider Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way […]

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