Your Role in God’s Plan

You have a role to play in God’s plan for humanity. He created you for this purpose, His purpose. Yet sometimes it is hard to grasp that God has a plan for your life that will impact people beyond your lifetime. Like Abram in Genesis 15, when God reveals His plans to us, we often […]

Viewing Life in Panorama

The other day I was taking a picture of a sunset and I could not capture all the brilliant colors splashed across the sky in the frame. So I switched the camera to panorama mode and filled the frame with the sky and setting sun. It made me think about how sometimes we have a […]

Inner Beauty

As I was reading 1 Kings 6, I realized that so much of the inner beauty of the temple built by Solomon would be seen by only a handful of people. The elaborate carvings, cedar walls plated with gold, and cherubim statues were not built for show, but for God: It happened that when the […]

Does God Believe in You?

There are those who say God does not exist, but that doesn’t mean he ceases to exist. God continues to reign whether people deny Him or not. He remains as the creator of the world, the creator of you and me. No matter how elaborate the scheme to deny that there is no God; no […]

Some Day I’ll Write a Book

“You inspired me.” I was surprised by the comment. It came from someone I spoke with recently who I had not seen in a few years. He told me that when I self published my book Islands of Deception last year, it motivated him to pursue his own desire to write a book. It wasn’t the […]

Seeing God in the Joy and Sorrow

Without God, it’s hard to make sense of the world. If there is only randomness and no master plan, then it’s everyone for themselves as they see fit. We are merely surviving, completing work for purposes that do not last. As Solomon described it: “For the fate of the sons of men and the fate […]

Rising Above the Distractions in Life

There is something gnawing at you deep inside. It’s a feeling that doesn’t go away, a restlessness. You try to push it away with distractions, but it remains, continuing to prod you. You search for answers, but the crowd stops you from seeing clearly. Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable […]

Prayer Journey–Grateful

Your hand dear God is evident in the beauty of your creation. From the tiniest leaf to the grandeur of mountains, the splendor of the work of your hands stands before us. Yet may we see your greatest creation in the people you place around us. They are created in your image, crafted by your […]

Authority Figure

He was a man of authority, a leader of many in the army. He was used to giving commands his soldiers obeyed. Yet he approached Jesus with respect, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented (Matthew 8:6, NASB).” The centurion in this passage calls Jesus, “Lord,” even though he is a Roman […]

Against All Odds

Ever feel outnumbered—that the odds were stacked against you? Perhaps you’re facing an adversary that seems impossible to overcome. All you can see is their intent to crush you. Instead of seeking God, you want to run and hide from it all. This is how the Israelites felt in 1 Samuel 13: “Now the Philistines […]