In this election year of 2024, I thought it might be helpful and encouraging to reflect on the top ten list of our nation’s best presidents. This is a time for reflection and encouragement, and it is a time to “raise the bar.” A time to consider leaders who have led in a positive moral direction. A time when elections were based on integrity, both that of the candidates and the election process itself. Though not necessarily perfect, there was a standard, and it was a high standard. U.S. Presidents were to model righteousness. They were not all believers in Christ, yet they were intentional about setting a righteous example for their constituents. It was more about doing the right thing and less about how to get away with ...

In his classic work from 1852, The Typology of Scripture, Patrick Fairbairn masterfully compares the Old Testament types (prophetic symbols) with their New Testament anti-types (fulfillments).  One of the most prominent types in the Old Testament is the fleeing from Egypt by the Israelites under the leadership of Moses.

Let me begin by laying the foundation for this type. Moses, the leader, is a type of Jesus Christ, who led His people out of bondage to sin through the shedding of His blood on the cross. Moses did not shed his blood but rather had the Hebrews shed the blood of a lamb and paint its blood on the doorposts and lintel beam (Exodus 12:7). The blood was their protection from the angel of death even as the Lamb of God, Jesus...

In his insightful book, The Three Chairs, Dr. Bruce Wilkinson shares truths about generational faith. There is a marked difference between those who are the first in their family to be born again and those who grow up in a Christian home where Christ is exalted. Wilkinson masterfully shows us from the Bible how this truth played out in the lives of Abraham (first chair), Isaac (second chair), and Jacob (third chair); David (first chair), Solomon (second chair), and Rehoboam (third chair); and Joshua (first chair), the elders of Israel (second chair), and the children of the elders (third chair). In each case there is a downward spiral from vital, vibrant faith in the Lord God to nominal faith in God to no faith in God. Each state is ...

Christians disagree. Well, that should come as no surprise to any of you. We are not clones nor do we all think alike on most subjects. Disagreements are inevitable and are a part of life. The trick is to discover how to “disagree without being disagreeable.” Disagreements need not turn into “cut offs” where we cease all contact with someone. Disagreements can be productive causing us to see things from a different perspective. They may cause us to change our minds or at least rethink our position on a matter.

Would it surprise you to learn that the apostles disagreed? Yep. They did. The prime example of this is recorded in Acts 15:36-40. The disagreement features two pillars of the faith, Paul and Barnabas. Realize...

All things will eventually come to an end. Sometimes things end well, and sometimes they do not. Sometimes we choose to end and sometimes the ending is someone else’s choice. Sometimes we resist letting go and hang on too long. And sometimes we stay stuck in indecision and can't move on.

Let's take a look at each of these:

• How do we end something well?
• How do we handle an unwanted ending?
• How can we let go with grace?

There is a type of ending currently referred to as “ghosting”. It is an excellent example of how not to end something. In ghosting the person who has chosen to end the relationship simply drops “off the map” and discontinues all communication with the other person(s). I am not ...

Who hasn’t had doubts about whether or not they’re a Christian? I think, if we’re honest, all of us at one time or another have had those kinds of doubts. Perhaps you lied and inwardly the devil accuses you saying, “No one who is a Christian would have said that. You must not be a Christian,” Maybe you took something that didn’t belong to you but rationalized that they have so much and they won’t miss it. Once again, here comes the devil to accuse you in your conscience, “Did that belong to you? You just stole something that wasn’t yours. That violates the commandment not to steal. You deserve to go to hell.” With both of those scenarios, we may doubt our salvation because ...

It is usually no problem to make decisions in the little things of life such as whether I’ll brush my teeth in the morning or not or whether I’ll eat cereal or yogurt for breakfast, but what about the big decisions of life? You know the decisions like who to marry, where to live, whether to have a child or not, whether to buy the house or not, whether to accept the job offer or not. Those can be lifechanging decisions that will alter the trajectory of your life. So, how do you go about making those kind of big decisions?

In Bible times in Israel they cast lots, which no one knows for sure what that looked like. For example the early church drew lots to determine who would be the 12^th apostle to take Judas Iscariot’s place...

You don’t need to agree with us but I thought that Elsie and I would share with you where we stand on the controversial cultural issues of the day. We are Bible-believing Christ followers who do our best to live life according to the commands, values, principles, and precepts of the Bible. The culture around us may tell us one thing but if it conflicts with the Bible we will always choose the Bible. So, here are some of the major issues of the day and where we stand on them:

1. Abortion. Elsie and I are unashamedly pro-life, anti-abortion Christians. Suffice it to say, God is the God of life, not death. The Bible teaches that life begins at conception (Psalm 139:13-16, Jeremiah 1:5). Abortion is always wrong and is a sin. It is the ......

This article is a reprint of the best of the best from 2023

As we begin this brand-new year of 2023, I believe it is important to look back at things we have learned during the past 12 months. I call them “take-aways.” They are the things we have learned through another year of living, experiencing, and growing – or not. They are the things we have learned through our daily experiences (good and bad), in our spiritual journey and times in God’s Word, and things we have learned from others and from our own personal observation. This can result in wisdom, but there are no guarantees since some people do not learn from the past. Wisdom is the application of knowledge and includes insight and understanding. Much can be ...

In his book, Choose Love not Power: How to Right the World’s Wrongs from a Place of Weakness, author Dr. Tony Campolo describes how the world measures success. Tony says the world measures success by any of three benchmarks: fame, power, or money. In other words, if you have achieved any of the three the world regards you as a success. So, if you have fame, you are considered successful because, to quote the old television show, “Cheers,” everybody knows your name. If you have power, you have people at your beck and call. If you have money, you can buy whatever your heart desires. As you can probably tell, these three benchmarks are synergistic, meaning they tend to attract each other. So, wealthy people with a lot of ......