You Can Make a Difference
We believe whoever finds God, finds life. Because of You, more people are experiencing the love, hope, and healing only found in Him. Let’s celebrate what God has done and…
We believe whoever finds God, finds life. Because of You, more people are experiencing the love, hope, and healing only found in Him. Let’s celebrate what God has done and…
Following Jesus as an act of resistance to our cultural push toward hurry, hustle, distraction and shallowness. Most of our greatest mistakes tend to come when we’re in a hurry.…
We do these practices like (slowing, simplicity, silence, solitude, sabbath and more) in order to grow the fruit of the Spirit within us and cultivate compassion like Christ within our…
The dream was perfect. I was at a party and as I moved through the crowd I was really enjoying some sweet revenge by telling stories about someone who…
We often define our lives by the big moments. But most of our lives consist of ordinary chapters. They may not feel significant, but ultimately end up changing everything. In…
The book of Psalms is a collection of songs by human writers who poured out their hearts – and their emotions – into expressing their joy, pain, and praise.…
The heart, in biblical terms, is not part of who we are, but rather the center and core of who we are. So when it comes to Jesus describing who…
George Mueller once said something like this (not verbatim, but this is its essence): “I read Scripture until I come to a verse that can bear my whole weight, and…
“Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a…
Modern Family “Setting the Tone” Jeff Jones, Senior Pastor 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 For every one of us here, we want to help those we love flourish in life, not hinder…
You see there is something so beautiful about His Promise of Divine Protection… something that settles every fear and chases away every doubt. For as long as I can remember…
One day I was surprised when a childhood friend said to me, “Oh Jan, you never thought the rules applied to you.” I wasn’t sure what she was referencing,…
There is something so beautiful about God’s Promise of Divine Protection… something that settles every fear and chases away every doubt. For as long as I can remember I have…
Are you in a season of tears? Is the anguish of consequences from misdeeds long ago repented of still lingering? Is the anxiety climbing as you consider future financial prospects…
This morning I woke up early in Ohio to much cooler weather, and as I looked out of our hotel room window, I was met with the turning of the…
Today I wanted to share with you a foundational truth that every person needs to hear and be settled in. In a world that glorifies “self”… “selfies”… portraying allusions through…
Luke 15:11-32; Genesis 2-3 Aloneness reaches deep into the inner recesses of the human heart. No one likes to be alone. I was flying recently to Orlando: girl on airplane:…
Dear Roger, I was digging into the book of Hosea, and I don’t understand. Why would God tell him to marry a prostitute? God had called him to…
Luke 15:11-32; Genesis 2-3 •SLIDE #1: (Slide of Prodigal son as soon as offering special concludes and I walk to the pulpit.) •BUILD SLIDE #2A: Most people love Christmas time.…
For the first ten years of my marriage, I struggled with the fear of abandonment. My father and my first pastor had both left their wives for younger women. Because…
Do you know what Jonah’s final recorded words were? Were they words of repentance? Words of gratitude? Words of praise? Nope. They were words of spite. The last words that…
Dear Roger, I’ve always struggled to understand the passage where Jesus said that if someone hurts us, we are to turn the other cheek and let them hit…
“Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is…
I remember an old episode of The Andy Griffith Show entitled, “Tom Silby Returns.” In that episode there is a funny exchange between Andy and Tom made so by a…
“Returning to God in Unity” Ephesians 4:1-6 Introduction Many fish species swim together in groups called schools to survive. The school creates a tight formation that moves swiftly in perfect…
No one knows more about a creation than its creator. We see this with mothers and children, architects and buildings, and painters and their art. But is it true for miracles too? In…
In my troubles I pled with God to help me and he did! Deliver me, O Lord, from liars. O lying tongue, what shall be your fate? You shall be pierced with sharp…
“The Lord is Your keeper. The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night.” Psalm 121 Psalm…
“Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” Psalm 127:1b KJV Watchmen were always stationed on the walls of Jerusalem to detect the stealthy approach…
As a child of God, you have a very special relationship with other Christians. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians pictures this relationship in two different ways. First, every believer is…
Names matter in the Bible, because names are used descriptively to describe something or somebody, and one name that, we’ll look at other names a little bit later, but…
“Dear Father, please bless this food to our bodies and help us to honor You in all that we say and do today. Amen” This would typically be a sweet…
“[Judah] went against the inhabitants of Debir…And Caleb said, ‘He who attacks Kiribati-shepherd and captures it, I will give him Achsah my daughter for a wife.’ And Othniel the…
ALL THIS IS FROM GOD, WHO RECONCILED US TO HIMSELF THROUGH CHRIST AND GAVE US THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION. 2 CORINTHIANS 5:18 As born-again believers, we are all new creations…
Sometimes life happens faster than we can run our race. We can’t control everything that happens to us or around us. We can’t control the decisions others make that deeply affect…
Epaphroditus kind of sounds like a disease, doesn’t it? It’s an unusual name. But in the Bible, Epaphroditus was a dear friend and servant of Paul the apostle. His name shows…
Many news outlets report the increasing military strength of the Taliban and a repeat of the terrorist attack that shocked America. John MacArthur gives advice on how to respond to…
Here we are explicitly told what the walk of believers entails: the walk “in love,” the imitation of God and of Christ, who loved with a love beyond compare. Having…
Believers, increasingly conformed to Christ in faith by the Spirit, and comprehending, in community, the immensity of Christ’s love, glorify God who dwells in them. Ephesians 3:14-21 This pericope is…
Nestled slyly in Queen Creek Canyon, under a canopy of towering trees, lies one of the oldest arboretums in the western United States, Boyce Thompson Arboretum. Hiking trails, carefully designed…
““Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble…
There are many opinions on what these three terms mean and how they relate to each other. Here are my thoughts. All three terms describe a process whereby a person…
“Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look around and see. Is any suffering like my suffering that was inflicted on me, that the Lord brought on…
“After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I…
“Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature.” Genesis 1:26 MSG Recent racially charged incidents including the tragic death of George Floyd and others have…
“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody!” Psalm 57:7 (ESV) I trust God. Until I don’t. That doesn’t feel like a…
In 2015, The New York Times ran an article called “Googling for God.” In this article, author Seth Stephens-Davidowitz starts by saying, “It has been a bad decade for God, at…
What do we do when our worst, out of control fears come true? JOB’S WORST FEARS CAME TRUE. JOB 1:1: In the land of Uz there lived a man whose…
Jesus came to the earth three times: He came humbly as a baby, He came secretly at the Rapture and He came victoriously as King and Judge. Examine these three…
PSALM 23 David, the author of Psalm 23, illustrates the relational and covenantal nature of God from the vantage point of a shepherd taking care of his sheep. Just as…
God’s glory shows us who we are in relation to a glorious God. His glory drives out fear and replaces it with joy. God’s glory reassures us of the power…
Anyone who has taken the time to calculate a loan repayment schedule understands the implications of interest, and how interest paid on long-term loans will often exceed the amount of…
Worship should be a way of life, with many facets of expression. The insistence that there is only one way to worship God has often left the body of…
Perhaps the biggest impediment to believing in God (as stated by those who don’t) is the presence of pain and suffering in the world. How can there be a God…
Dr. Thabite Anywabile, author for the Gospel Coalition, wrote twelve practical ways to love those who disagree with us: Options for church unity are wider than we admit. After all,…
One of the most used (if not overused) terms of our culture is the term dysfunctional. It has become the chic descriptor of flawed and broken people and especially families. Too often…
Dear Roger, Please help me build my relationship with God while I’m isolated from my church and others. Sincerely, Ronnie Dear Ronnie, I would love to help! I’ve put together…
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“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in…
In Revelation 4:3, there is one group that will worship Him. Do you see who it is? A holy, faithful, benevolent, sovereign God. Man will risk hell before he will…
The command “don’t worry” comes from Jesus. In Matthew chapter 6, verses 25 to 34, Jesus says “Stop worrying”, in verse 25, 31, and 34. Stop it. Now you say,…
Did you know that an observant Jew says a bare minimum of one hundred blessings per day? Those blessings cover the gamut of human experience. They offer a blessing before…
“In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the…
God may actually be shouting loudly, and it’s possible we’re just not listening. After running 90 miles away from Queen Jezebel because he had killed her 400 prophets of Baal,…
Have you learned to live an abundant life despite circumstances? God’s plan is to renew us. Every day is a new adventure. He renews our minds with his Word. He…
Many people, including many readers of this blog, are facing some level of financial uncertainty right now because of the coronavirus crisis. These are challenging times, and you may find…
Kids are the best comforters! I was five when I was diagnosed with scarlet fever and pneumonia and imprisoned (I mean quarantined) at home for four months! My kindergarten buddies…
Thirty-six times in the New Testament we see a recurring word pattern—an action verb followed by the words one another. In English grammar this phrase is called a reciprocal pronoun—I…
Forgiving others is hard, but forgiving yourself can be even more difficult. When guilt and regret fill your past, believing in your future seems impossible. But God wants you to…
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and…
In the beginning, the earth was formless and void, but that did not deter the Almighty. He looked into the fathomless depth of its darkness and concluded, “All it needs…
Some years ago I passed through a time of discouragement. I can’t remember the source of the struggle, but I recall the fruit. I created a tool for divine encouragement.…
Sometimes I like to think I’m good at this grace thing.Mostly this happens after I have listened to the song “Oceans” by Hillsong United. Having been hit with the audio…
WHY YOU SHOULD SEE “A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD?” Russell Moore, in his charming article about Fred Rogers, pulls our heartstrings and reminds us how we should cherish…
Dear Roger, I’ve been having some really serious health problems and one of my Christian friends recommended that I read the book of Job. That was the worst advice I’ve…
“I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring…
“If the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us?” Here are…
“I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I…
Two conditions of the heart exist where no one can hide: one is when the heart is filled with love and the other when we are infected with bitterness. Either…
How do you handle the suffering that comes your way? Suffering can take many forms: mental anguish, physical pain, hurting children, grief or financial ruin. Lysa TerKeurst describes God’s love…
Forget online matchmaking sites. If you need some tips on finding love, perhaps these weird and wonderful Old Testament tales will inspire you. We will also examine four passionate Bible…
God is the One who entrusted children to us in the first place: God, our Heavenly Father. And thankfully, He has a lot to say in His Word about His standards for…
Dear Roger, You preached a powerful sermon at our church on the importance of the blood of Christ. I never forgot it. I especially liked how you explained that it…
Ever had God blow your socks off? Shock you with His goodness? Leave you speechless with His plan? This weekend I was reading the new book by Richard Preston.…
Ever had God blow your socks off? Shock you with His goodness? Leave you speechless with His plan? This weekend I was reading the new book by Richard Preston.…
Many things in our culture work against the maintenance of real community. We are conditioned in countless ways to think and act as individuals only, not as members of any…
There is only one being created in the image of God, in all of creation, and that being is the human being, and that being is the object of God’s…
Have you ever come across a word that seems to jump out at you consistently? A word that causes you to sit up and take notice each time you hear…
I’ve grown up my whole life hearing that racism was wrong, that “prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own…
Dear Roger, Last week I helped lead my friend to Christ. It’s the first time I’ve ever done anything like that. She began crying as she confessed her…
I remember the first day I began to struggle with my body image. I was a competitive swimmer and track athlete in high school. I competed hard, which kept me…
Rick told me that he no longer believed in Jesus or the Bible. After many years of church involvement and even ministry involvement, my friend turned away from Christianity and…
“You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” – Jesus Christ 1. Existing fetal homicide laws make a man guilty of manslaughter if he kills the…
“You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” – Jesus Christ 1. Existing fetal homicide laws make a man guilty of manslaughter if he kills the…
Perhaps you’re familiar with Christ’s promise in John 14: “In my Father’s house are many mansions. . . . I go to prepare a place for you” (v. 2, KJV). The Vulgate, the…
“This is not my life.” “Those are not my children.” “That is not my husband.” Have you ever looked around at your life and thought any of these things? I…
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…
Rejection is a difficult thing to reason with. Truly, when we are rejected once, it hurts, and it often takes some time to get past the pain of that rejection.…
When some Pharisees put Jesus to the test concerning the greatest of all God’s commandments, He answered with a quotation from Deuteronomy 6:5: “You shall love the Lord your God with…
Saul was a bad king. He was impatient when he should have waited, and he hesitated when he should have advanced. Chapter 15 of 1st Samuel is a dark moment for…
God’s love to all humanity is a love of compassion. To say it another way, it is a love of pity. It is a broken-hearted love. He is “good, and ready to…
Signs and symptoms of bulimia (bulimia nervosa) center on the preoccupation with weight and body shape. Guilt and shame are core symptoms of bulimia. Someone who is bulimic, like a…
The greatest human need is to be loved…we know that…but for a lot of us…we don’t actually make the time to be vulnerable enough to allow ourselves to be loved…
Saul was a bad king. He was impatient when he should have waited, and he hesitated when he should have advanced. Chapter 15 of 1st Samuel is a dark moment for…
Dear Roger, I have a question and it should probably go to a pastor. The Bible most commonly refers to God in the masculine. Therefore, many Christians believe he is…
Dear Roger, Give me the best! I need to preach Revelation, simply and thoroughly. Can you help? A Young Pastor Dear Pastor, Here are my notes on Revelation 1:9-20.…
Do you know Jonah’s last words in the Bible? “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.”[i] Those are not words motivated by suffering or grief. Those…
Google knows who we are, sometimes better than we know ourselves. But Google doesn’t love us. Imagine if you had a truth serum that would force you to disclose who…
Dear Roger, I need to know why I can’t seem to sense God is with me. Have I been rejected for some reason? Romans 8:35-39 states several things that cannot…
We naturally drift towards isolation and a lack of intimacy, but Jesus’ incarnation proves his desire to share his heart with us, step into our seclusion, break us out of…
Do you want to experience true happiness? God’s Word gives us seven ways to be happy in Him. 1. God’s Immeasurable Love for Us In Ephesians, Paul prays that the…
When we ask the question about what draws others to us, we might first want to determine why we’re asking the question. This magnetism is not about popularity, attractiveness or…
We often get so caught up thinking about where we’d rather be and what we’d rather be doing, that we forget all the places God has already been with us.…
Dear Roger, I am a pastor and my members are always asking me why I don’t preach the Book of Revelation. Can you help me? Why should I preach…
Andy Stanley dove into a pool of piping hot water last week, with remarks pitted small churches against big churches. His comments came within the context of his explaining why he believes…
If you’ve listened to fairy tales, or if you’ve watched early classic Disney cartoons, one thing becomes clear: a lot of “poor little” princes and princesses shared a common family…
You have value because God values you. It has nothing to do with being worthy of it. Rely on God. The Feast of Weeks celebrates His unconditional love and grace.
Satan tempts us to sin and stops us in our tracks by accusations, but his most insidious weapon is deception, because we don’t know when we are being deceived. Through…
God often uses our deserts to heal us. When we have been wounded, a quiet dryness is exactly what I need to heal.
If you don’t ask for the help that you need, chances are you won’t get that help, support or encouragement you long for. That applies in all times in life,…
Who shall separate us from God’s love? Not God. He already has too much invested in us. Not others. God has already sealed His decision in concrete. Not Jesus. He…
Do all men leave? For the first ten years of my marriage, I struggled with the fear of abandonment. My father and my first pastor had both left their wives…
The godly person stays apart from worldly influences, reverences God supremely and feeds on His Word continually. He will weather any storms. from Cornerstone Church archives, Cornerstone Church, Simi Valley,…
King David experienced rejection, heartache, disappointment, and difficulty. How did He survive? When we study his prayers, we know he was deeply connected to God. Psalm 139 is a love…
Psalm 32 and 51 are twin poems that describe David’s prayer of brokenness and repentance. Psalm 32 paints a portrait of his emotional pain and how he became healed in…
Reading the list of character qualities in Proverbs 31 can be daunting. No one person could possibly embody all of these traits or perform all of these tasks. Proverbs…
Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son depicts the plight of a runaway son, a grieving father and a sulky older brother. Self-reliance, selfishness and self-condemnation bring about isolation and loneliness…