Life, suffering, and failure have a way of transforming you from an idealist to a realist — from thinking that you’re strong to reminding you that you’re weak. When I was 25, I believed I could change the world. At 42, I have come to the realization that I cannot change my wife, my church or my kids, to say nothing of the world. Try as I might, I have not been able to manufacture outcomes the way I thought I could, either in my own life or other people’s. Unfulfilled dreams, ongoing relational tension, the loss of friendships, a […]

Improvised explosive devices and evangelism? What’s the connection? Did you know certain words when used to evangelize a Jewish person can cause an IED reaction? We cannot ignore the hundreds of years of anti-Semitism sadly done by those who claimed to be Christians. Therefore, there are words or phrases that to a Jewish person are charged with emotion, causing an angry explosion. Instead of opening a door to share the love of Messiah, it is slammed in your face. At the heart “You’re trying to convert me,” may be the quick response, which translated means “trying to take my Jewish […]

One thing that I can assure all students as they start or continue their journey is that they will have problems. They may be Aphysical, but all of them will have problems. If so, where should the student turn during these times of trial? They must turn to the Scriptures, and particularly stories of the trials of others. The passage at the end of Mark 4, the story of a storm in the life of the disciples, is a valuable lesson for modern-day disciples who are engaging in ministry training. “As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let’s cross […]