I watched the sun rise this morning. It was beautiful. It’s hard to notice any kind of beauty at 6:20 in the morning, but I did. Just a few hours—I thought to myself—and beaches throughout the world would be littered with people soaking up rays. Pools would be surrounded by vacationers fighting over the lounge […]

[ Note: This post appeared in the Lawrence Journal-World. I was asked to write it for the Faith Forum section. ] As a religious professional, what’s your take on vampires as popular figures in entertainment? Why wouldn’t vampires be popular—don’t we all have friends who drink blood? Aren’t all popular kids in school murderers? I […]

[ Note: This post appeared in the Lawrence Journal-World. I was asked to write it for the Faith Forum section. ] Can prayer really heal people? No. Prayer cannot heal anyone. Prayer doesn’t heal because prayer is simply making a request. If a man prays to Polaris, Mount Olympus or the family dog, he will […]

[ Note: This post appeared in the Lawrence Journal-World. I was asked to write it for the Faith Forum section. ] Do You Make Spiritual New Year’s Resolutions? Yes and no. Yes to “spiritual” resolutions. A resolution is “a firm decision to do something.” So, resolutions can be good or bad. Every day, people make […]

[ Note: This post appeared in the Lawrence Journal-World. I was asked to write it for the Faith Forum section. ] What advice would you give this year’s graduates? How about some advice from the wisest man who ever lived? No, not me. I’m talking about King Solomon—son of David. The Bible calls him the […]

[ Note: This post appeared in the Lawrence Journal-World. I was asked to write it for the Faith Forum section. ] “Why would God favor one football team over another?” “Sure, Journal-World Editor, I’d love to answer a question for the Faith Forum. What’s the question?” “Why would God favor one football team over another?” […]

[ Note: This post appeared in the Lawrence Journal-World. I was asked to write it for the Faith Forum section. ] What do you think is the most successful way to share your religious beliefs with strangers? There are many popular methods for sharing one’s faith: The media blitz—radio, television, mailers. Street preaching and knocking […]

[ Note: This post appeared in the Lawrence Journal-World. I was asked to write it for the Faith Forum section. ] Are There Defined Stages of Faith? Many people mock faith. But, the Bible tells us God is pleased by it (Hebrews 11:6). So, it’s important to understand four stages of faith: The first stage […]

[ Note: This post appeared in the Lawrence Journal-World (Lawrence, Kansas, the home of the Kansas University Jayhawks). I was asked to write it for the Faith Forum section. ] Is praying for a March Madness win proper or greedy? Interesting question with many possible answers: The Northern Iowa answer: Probably greedy, but it works! […]

[ Note: This post appeared in the Lawrence Journal-World. I was asked to write it for the Faith Forum section. ] What is the most misunderstood aspect of your job?” Two big misunderstandings come to mind. First, I’m not after your money. Some people think ministers prey upon sincere, but naïve believers so they can […]

[ Note: This post appeared in the Lawrence Journal-World. I was asked to write it for the Faith Forum section. ] Why Are So Many Americans Unchurched? There are multiple reasons why so many Americans are unchurched today. Many believe the church is irrelevant and boring. Many have witnessed too much hypocrisy, fighting and pettiness. […]

[ Note: This post appeared in the Lawrence Journal-World. I was asked to write it for the Faith Forum section. ] “Is it OK for people of faith to be involved in astrology?” Allow me to dissect the question first. “Is it OK…”? If you just want someone to affirm your choices, you can easily […]

[ Note: This post appeared in the Lawrence Journal-World. I was asked to write it for the Faith Forum section. ] How do you define the word “evangelical”? After the 2004 election, Tom Brokaw did a report about evangelicals called In God They Trust. National Public Radio came out with The Jesus Factor—a program about […]

[ Note: This post appeared in the Lawrence Journal-World. I was asked to write it for the Faith Forum section. ] “What’s the difference between belief in God and faith in God?” You know airplanes take off every day. All around the world people fasten their seatbelts and let a complete stranger take them 32,000 […]

[ Note: This post appeared in the Lawrence Journal-World. I was asked to write it for the Faith Forum section. ] Is it important, or possible, to differentiate between the historical Jesus and the Jesus of the Bible? Is it important? Depends on what you want. If you want a religion and a Jesus you’re more […]

[ Note: This post appeared in the Christmas Day edition of the Lawrence Journal-World. I was asked to write it for the Faith Forum section. ] How would you expect Jesus to celebrate his birthday if he were a modern man? How would I expect Jesus to celebrate his birthday if He were a modern […]

Do you ever feel like a nobody? Like just another fish in the lake? Just another frog in the pond? Just another dog in the alley? Do yourself a favor. Give yourself something I call “Isaiah therapy.” According to Isaiah, we should pick a clear night, go outside and, “Look at the night skies.” Ask […]

What is Truth? Many are asking this question. Maybe you are asking this question. Many have given up on finding truth—they tell us, “We can’t know anything for sure,” which quickly leads to, “We can’t know right from wrong.” What do you think? Are you an honest doubter—someone who is willing to listen to a […]

“And He was also telling them a parable: ‘No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new […]

“Relevant” is a big deal in our world. If you’re not relevant, you’re not…well, relevant. You’re not important. You don’t get a hearing. You don’t matter. But, how do you know if something is relevant—is it just a personal, individual thing? Or, are some things relevant whether you know it or not? We’ll come back […]

What makes for a good meeting? It depends on the purpose, right? Some meetings are designed to dispense information—like a press conference or university lecture. It’s okay if the attendees are passive. If the information gets out there, the meeting fulfilled its purpose. Some meetings are designed for interaction—town hall meetings or brainstorm sessions. If there is no […]

What did “church” look like when you were a kid? Has the church you grew up in changed since then? What are your guesses for the future—how do you think the church will change over the next 25-50 years? One of the most important questions we could ask is, why should we care? The answer, […]

The church at Antioch—in the heart of the Book of Acts—was the first church to send out missionaries in an intentional way. The Apostle Paul was based out of Antioch, and his methods and strategies became known as the Antioch Tradition. The Antioch Tradition was the tradition—the way of doing church—for most of the first […]

“The Way” of salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone by grace alone (read more here). “The Way” of life and ministry for a disciple of Jesus is what we mean by “The Way of Christ and His Apostles”. It was introduced by Christ Himself, then commissioned to the Apostles — the first followers […]