Striving for Spiritual Impact
A few months ago, I mentioned that I had been diagnosed with kidney cancer. The treatment involved five uncomfortable procedures, but the recovery was …
Intimate Theology
What Can I Learn from Cancer?
Four weeks ago, my doctor told me that recent tests indicate a high likelihood I have kidney cancer. The tests were the result of an appointment …
Finding Meaning in Suffering
Elisabeth Elliot is best known for being a widowed-missionary, speaker, adjunct professor, and author of over twenty books. She is least known for her …
Our Agendas Crucify the Life of God in Us
Ten years ago I met a mother in anguish because her smart, capable son was living in an abandoned house, playing reggae music on the streets, and …
He Loves Me … He Loves Me Not
A friend of mine used to begin every prayer: “Father, I love you.” When I first heard him, I thought it was cool. After a couple years, something …
Don’t Believe Your Own Headlines
In ninth grade, my brother Andy’s locker partner (the school drug supplier) had a bad trip on LSD. The bad trip continued in a small series of scary …
Should Christians Fear Thinking?
Four years ago, I met with a pastor who talked about problems in his church. I asked him what he thought he should do. He said, “Watch it! ‘Thinking’ …
Trusting Doubt
My friend was recently fired from a job when his boss blamed him for a mistake the boss had made. He said to me, “All is good.” The next week his wife …
Is Sunday School Destroying Our Kids?
Several years ago I met with a woman distraught over her son’s rejection of Christianity. She said, “I did everything I could to raise him right. I …
Does Prayer Work?
Someone recently asked me to write an endorsement for his upcoming book on intercessory prayer. He read my book on Hearing God in Conversation and …
Easter and the Death of a Son
Twenty-three years ago, my sister Becky lost her son in an accident as he walked home from school. Is there any greater sadness for any parent than …
Do We Know What We Worship?
In 1930, legendary economist John Maynard Keynes wrote an essay about our future lifestyle in the twenty-first century. He predicted that industrial …