"Watch your life and doctrine closely"
Last week I attended a funeral for a 92-year-old man. His daughter shared how the Lord impressed upon her to share the gospel with her father. While together for Thanksgiving, she tried to steer the conversation that way, but it didn’t happen. She tried again a few weeks later and was once again unable. Sensing…
We all love a good “best of” list at the end of the year. Thank you for following along and I pray you are continually encouraged as you read the Growing in Grace blog. Here’s a list of the most read articles of 2024: If God is Sovereign, Why Pray? “If God controls everything, if…
This week, many of us will gather with family and friends to feast and remind ourselves of all we have to be thankful for. Some enter this season joyfully and find it easy to spout off reasons for their thankfulness. Others have had a difficult year and already feel pressure to “look the part” this…
So you’re a single-issue voter? It’s a question that’s often asked with a negative connotation. To be a single-issue voter is looked upon as ignorant or overly dogmatic. Perhaps it’s true that being a single-issue voter on certain issues is too extreme. Being overly dogmatic on every issue might show a lack of level-headedness. However,…
I began the day with a heavy and stressed heart. I had to lead a meeting that would most likely be confrontational and intense. All morning I prayed for the Lord to take care of it in a way that only he can. “Lord, I don’t know what to do, and I don’t know how…
I recently traveled with a new team to a village in Peru that several churches in our area visit throughout the summer. Deep in the Andes mountains (pictured above), a part of my heart lives in the tiny village of Quito-Arma. My nine-year-old son traveled with me for the first time. When we finally made…
It seems that every few years there’s a new best-selling Christian book that creatively fits the latest news headlines into Scripture, specifically the book of Revelation. These authors find hints and clues throughout Scripture that fit together in a way that tells us that Christ’s coming is near. Although none of these books have proven…
My eyes forced themselves shut before my head hit the hotel pillow. Exhausted, it wasn’t long before I was fast asleep. We were supposed to arrive in Lima the previous evening and get a good night’s rest. That all changed after boarding our first flight and then, after an hour, getting deplaned because of a…
Scripture teaches that God is sovereign over all. Nothing happens in all the universe outside of his permission. From the smallest atom to the largest galaxy, all that occurs in his creation does so according to his will (Proverbs 16:33, Lamentations 3:37-39). No plan of God’s can be thwarted (Job 42:2). Sometimes people will ask,…
I’m ready to go home. I’m tired. I’m tired of seeing the effects of the curse. I’m tired of seeing people sin against God and against others in harmful ways. I’m tired of my own struggle against sin. I grow weary hearing the latest news. Wars and rumors of wars fill the headlines and burden…