Ten Questions I Always Wanted to Know about Heaven
Dear Roger, I am so excited about going to heaven. I am ready for the rapture. I hope it comes right now! But I don’t know enough about heaven.…
Dear Roger, I am so excited about going to heaven. I am ready for the rapture. I hope it comes right now! But I don’t know enough about heaven.…
She sits in my office, tears running down her face. Two years ago her mother died in hospice while she lay asleep at home. She was trying to get a…
“Death Is Certain…but God” Psalm 49 Introduction As humans, we all have to face our own mortality The most basic truth about life is death The theme of Psalm 49…
Ben has decided that he wants to die. This son of mine, who lives with a trust I aspire to….he believes in heaven, and can’t wait to get there. Why…
There was a man, many years ago, who was intimately acquainted with Jesus. He and his two sisters were greatly loved by the Lord and fellowshipped with Him often. This…
“Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal,” said Thomas Moore. But if that is true, why don’t we think more about heaven? Why do we only think and talk…
We have all heard the famous Benjamin Franklin quip, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Given death’s sure nature, why is it…
Big books full of Scripture, theology, and quotations from people long dead don’t normally sell well. Yet to my surprise, and the publisher’s, over a million copies of my 2004…
At some point every human has thought, “What happens when I die?” It’s one of the most ubiquitous and mysterious aspects of humanity. Where do we go for answers? To the…
At some point every human has thought, “What happens when I die?” It’s one of the most ubiquitous and mysterious aspects of humanity. Where do we go for answers? To the…
If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin…
Of all the misconceptions we have about Heaven, which is the most destructive? That’s a difficult and important question to tackle. Once, while preaching about the New Earth, I cited…
Grief is an emotion that can overwhelm you. Grief can take many forms from denial, anger, fatigue and depression. Here are a few tips on identifying grief in your life…
Stand for Truth, a wonderful Christian news organization in the Philippines compiled these quotes. EVERY PERSON should read these chilling words: 1. CAESAR BORGIA—Italian nobleman, politician, and cardinal: “While I…
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:55 (ESV) Losing someone you love can cut into your heart so viciously that it forever…
Four of my closest friends are widows. Jennifer, a pastor’s wife, lost her godly spouse after his long, grueling bout with brain cancer. My friend Eileen walked into her bedroom…
It was morning. The sun peaking over the horizon…whispering its luminescent yellow glow through the trees. The night had been full of a wearisome wrestling. Emotions tattered. Fervor frayed. Logic…
I was awakened Sunday by a telephone call from a friend telling me news I never expected to hear: that my friend and former student had been killed, run over…
We all face death. Every day. Especially this year. How do you cope? 1. Don’t fear death. Anticipate it with joy. Paul said it best, “And I trust that my…
This morning, I’m reflecting on the fact that I’m going to die soon. I don’t know how soon. I don’t know whether I’ll live to be 90 or just have…
Dear Roger, I can’t imagine anyone choosing to be in hell. I’d rather think of hell as where God banishes people he chooses to punish. But, is it true that…
Losing a spouse is heart-wrenching. Loving a spouse through a terminal illness is even worse. Many of us have walked paths of deep sorrow in these uncertain days. But a…
How can we identify the symptoms of grief in ourselves and others? What are some Bible principles that can help you heal today? Counselor Bobbie Rill and Dr. Deb Waterbury…
Dear Roger, Where do we go after death until the judgment? Sincerely, Betty Dear Betty, Death and dying are on the back burners of everyone’s minds, from preschoolers to the…
It would soon be Mother’s Day again, and I was dreading it. I wasn’t dreading the day for myself, but for my children who had lost their mother Cindy and…
Jesus went into the grave to bring you out of it. It wasn’t nails that held Him to the cross, it was love. freshlife.church
I have two sets of parents. Both couples were wed during the Jurassic period (not really). Both were married almost 60 years. I watched each twosome grow old together. One…
At many points after a loss, the mourning person can benefit from the support of others. Individual grief reactions can vary widely from person to person and also within the…
What is the origin of Halloween? According to historians many believe it began with the ‘Summer’s End’ festival, or Samhain celebrated 2,000 years ago as the beginning of the Celtic year. During…
My best friend Abby was widowed at 44. Her husband John passed away from sleep apnea. He was healthy. No warning. Four little faces greeted Mom at the breakfast table.…
Dear Roger, My pastor told me that I never have to sin again. How can that be true? Sincerely, Katie Dear Katie, The problem is a misunderstanding of what really…
One critical key to overcoming depression is to process your losses. A loss can be real, threatened or imagined, which is often a negative thought or lie that is believed.…
Why don’t we talk about death? Why are we silent about the inevitable? Randy Alcorn shares his thoughts: “There’s an old story of a slave who travels with his master…
Dear Roger, I have been through a bad divorce, and have no way to earn back my assets now at 64. Is it wrong to ask for a prenuptial agreement?…
Grief is never truly finished. When a loved one dies, we will always miss the relationship we had with that person. Sometimes we will re-experience the pain of that loss…
The most important influence to my pastoral counseling is from David Powlison. Powlison was a professor at the seminary my wife Angel graduated from and has had an indelible impact…
“…on the day when according to my gospel God will judge the secrets of men through Jesus Christ” (Rom. 2:16) “He has fixed a day in which He will judge…
Sometimes I have the privilege to speak to young men and women at graduation ceremonies and I look at them and wonder if they are ready to succeed in the…
The day had arrived. It was beyond sad. It was solemn, and it was heavy. Without hesitation we were there to support, to console, and to be present. In what…
Yesterday, I had the privilege of preaching a funeral for the grandmother of a former elder of the church, a man I count as a Barnabas to me, and a…
Dear Roger, Where do we go after death until the judgement? Sincerely, Betty Dear Betty, Death and dying are on the back burners of everyone’s minds, from preschoolers to the…
What happens when you close your eyes in death? The questions you have about life after death can leave you wondering, but they don’t mean you have to live in fear.…
The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, the literal physical bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead is so critical to the Christian gospel that all four…
Dear Roger, I decided to read through the Bible from beginning to end. I just came to Psalm 22 and was struck by how closely this Psalm paralleled Jesus’ experience on the cross. Could…
When Jesus paid the ultimate price on the cross to extend mercy, He never intended for us to keep it to ourselves. Discover the freedom found in forgiveness and the…
Dear Roger, My husband and I would like to be cremated after our deaths. Our families do not approve. Is there scripture that will back us in our decision? What…
History’s most spectacular sin was the murder of Jesus. Satan’s power in Judas’ sinful passions, Satan’s role in His own destruction, God’s role in the murder of His Son and…
I have a number of letters each week from people around the world who are contemplating suicide. Here are a few thoughts that might help you in dealing with someone…
Recently it has been reported that the number one cause of death world wide is abortion, with more than 42 million babies slaughtered in 2018. “There were more deaths from…
Ecclesiastes 3:2 states: “There is a time to live and a time to die.” There is one indisputable fact of life and these words of Solomon say it best. As…
Years ago, I interviewed a young man from Burundi who told me something profound: “If I fear death as unbelievers do, I have nothing to offer unbelievers. Only when you…
When you’re six years old, the world is your oyster and your imagination is taller than you are. Nothing bad could ever happen because the toxic realities of life far…
Dear Roger, I have had a friend ask me a question about ghosts. They have stated that they have seen a ghost, a man who stands by a window.…
Dear Roger, My Christian friends hold a very different set of values than I do. They permit their kids to celebrate Halloween, they engage in social drinking and use recreational…
Why would a Christian need a bucket list? We have all of eternity for joy, excitement and adventure. He writes, “I often cringe when I hear Christians talk about the…
Revelation 6 is an unfolding of God’s judgment in the Tribulation. Discover the antichrist and afterlife. What will these times look like? Man, who has rejected his Creator, will suddenly…
The other day I had someone ask me about a funeral that she was going to. She said “This is a funeral for an unbeliever, and I’m trying to think…
Dear Roger, As of now I’m not interested in having a funeral when I pass away. My question is:..Did Jesus have a funeral and is it alright NOT to have…
Jesus’ parable of the “prodigal son” has much to teach us-not only from the view of the son who was accepted back into his family by his father, but also…
“Our lost neighbors might be “pagan” in the sense that they are not part of the community of God, but they are still accountable before God. Their consciences are embedded…
We live in a stoic society. Often the expression of our emotions is suppressed because we do not know how to process them. When we “stuff” our feelings and fail…
And when death arrives on our doorstep, he brings all his friends along with him; sorrow, despair, pain, loneliness, depression, addiction, confusion, bitterness, anger and of course grief.
My husband almost died in July 2016. Brad is an incredibly strong man. Tough as nails. I was working over at Brad’s office, and I found him unconscious on the…
This week I have asked Tom Terry to answer my “Ask Roger” column. It’s fantastic! “I’m going to ask you a question and it’s a big one. If there is…
Imagine you’re part of a NASA team preparing for a five-year mission to Mars. After a period of extensive training, the launch date finally arrives. As the rocket lifts off,…
Dear Roger, I asked my pastor about the four horses of the Apocalypse and he didn’t seem to know very much. Can you help me out? Sincerely, Sandy Dear Sandy,…
Francis Chan teaches this simple message on the prayer of faith and Jesus’ power to heal. The concluding video of God’s angelic protection is riveting. Don’t miss it. www.crazylove.org.
We live in a time of spiritual intensity. Battle lines are drawn. For Christians especially, every word and action counts for something. It is a time of choices, where those…
Battles are both the bane and the glory of our existence. We adamantly abhor them when they’re forced on us by vengeful adversaries who mean us all the harm they…
After a loss, each member of a family has his or her own unique grief process. But just as important and unique is the grief experience of the entire family…
Our God stands unchanging through time as the source of our strength. The power of same is the culmination of our consistency with Him. If you resist the monotonous, you’ll…
Washington, Oregon, California and Vermont all have passed assisted suicide laws called “Death with Dignity” laws. These are the thoughts of Dr. Russell Moore concerning the ethics of assisted suicide.…
Why does God allow suffering and death? This is the age-old question that has plagued man for thousands of years. It is a direct challenge against the goodness of God.…
Is it okay to talk to our loved ones who’ve gone on to be with Jesus? First, would it even be possible for someone in Heaven to know what’s happening…
God directed you to this sermon, I believe, so that you would know, first, that you don’t have to die, and, second, so that you would know that Jesus, who…
People usually think of “Heaven” as the place Christians go when they die. A better definition explains that Heaven is God’s central dwelling place, the location of his throne from which…
First Corinthians 15 is the definitive chapter on the subject of resurrection. There Paul severely rebukes anyone who would doubt or question it: “But someone will ask, ‘How are the…
So it’s Saturday morning and your 7th grade daughter comes running in your room and says, “Mom/Dad, Brian just called and asked me to go to the show this afternoon.…
Revelation 21 and 22 give us a glorious picture of how God will bring renewal to all things. Pastor Tim Chaddick preaches on the incredible comfort this truth brings and…
Futurist David Zach relates some powerful insights about the importance of living our lives on the basis of enduring principles rather than on fads or trends. But fads and trends…
This compelling message reassures us that God’s goodness will pursue us relentlessly throughout our lives. Psalm 139 said He has every day formed in advance. It is His sovereignty and…
“God has so ordained things that we grow in the Spirit only through the frail instrumentality of one another.” -Alan Jones Have you ever longed for a mentoring relationship that…
Is your church a welcoming place? Or do you have a revolving door where visitors enter with high hopes of connecting with others and leave isolated and disappointed? I…
Part of serving a ministry in a foreign country is to identify the chief value(s) of your host country so that you will know what you should and shouldn’t do…
Dear Roger, My mother died this week. Fortunately, she was a long-time Christian. I’d like to know what the Bible teaches about what happened to her after death. Susan …
Aklak shivered, fighting back tears as he hugged little Kaya for the last time. He would never again gaze into the pudgy round face of his great-grandson. Aklak’s gnarled limbs…
What are you afraid of? Bugs give me the willies. Always have, always will. If I had my way, I’d strap a ten-pound can of Raid to my back and…
As Solomon begins Ecclesiastes, he observes that in nature what goes around comes around. Man’s existence is fleeting, and he is not as important as he thinks. Therefore, we must…
Jesus’ parable of Lazarus and Dives is a glimpse into the afterlife. We learn from Jesus that hell is real and that we can be certain of our eternal destination. Hell…
Most people don’t believe a pastor’s wife could have experienced this. But it is an event that changed my life. I know God’s long arms reaches out to the darkest…
Trying to explain God’s thoughts on hell must be approached with humility-not with heartlessness, arrogance, or carelessness. People’s eternal destiny is at stake. We must never put God’s actions in…
For thousands of years, the relationship had been perfect. As far back as any one could remember, the moon had faithfully reflected the sun’s rays into the dark night. It…
Naivete or Christian love? What is the balance? The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood: but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them” (Proverbs 12:6). This…
We’ve got to be willing to be salmon swimming upstream. What do salmon do? They get bloodied and beat up on the rocks in order to give birth and produce…
This dynamic service features a newspaper reporter’s observation of revival among the college students in their service. A powerful testimony of Clayton, an 18-year-old boy dying of leukemia, is preaching…
People always have many questions about heaven. Will we be bored? Do our loved ones see us on earth? Will we remember our earthly lives? Will we recognize our family…
The tighter we hold onto life, the harder it will be to let go. The believer sees death as a graduation, not the end!
Jesus related an intriguing tale about a rich man and a pauper and their eternal destinations. This story from the lips of Jesus gives us a riveting glimpse of the…
Dear Roger, I have to conduct a service for a man who took his life. There was no evidence of an acknowledgment of Christ. What tips? Sincerely, Tim Dear Tim,…
In neighborhood after neighborhood across America, the rows of rooftops conceal people whose lives in one way or another have experienced the impact of family disunity or divorce. Perhaps they…
Dear Roger, I continually struggle with the story of Abraham and Isaac. In all truth, this story really bothers me. I realize that God did not have Abraham…
Dear Roger, How were years determined in Noah’s days? Sincerely, Member of Casas’ Discovering Christianity Class Dear Member, You are obviously referring to the genealogies in the early part of…
Jesus’ resurrection of Lazarus was the final sign that preceded His own resurrection from the dead. A brief study of heaven, hell, death, and resurrection explains the unique perspective of…
What happens to us when we die? Paul teaches we have an earthly, temporal tent that will be transformed into an eternal, durable building from God. Paul is confident that…
Christ’s preaching to the “spirits in prison” between His death and resurrection is interpreted in four possible ways: Jesus ministers through His disciples to the lost on earth (Ephesians 2:17).…
Stephen is one of God’s overlooked, unsung heroes. But the New Testament is born because Stephen lives and dies for the glory of God. Being persecuted for our faith is…
The time comes when we need to move on from suffering and mourning in order to embrace healing. Rather than wallow in our grief, we can emerge victorious if we…
Pastors Barrier and Barteau discuss elements of effective leadership. How do you measure your skill and potential? How do you deal with opposition or cultivate competent lay-leader teams? Pastors are…