God Is Still Here

Have you ever contemplated the virgin birth? Mary mothering the KING of kings, the Messiah, the Savior. Sometimes in our Christmas rush we don’t think about the astounding truth of that union. Mary, the young teenage virgin. A woman taught to faithfully look for the Messiah. And God – holy,…

Do Eastern District Pastors Still Believe In Prayer?

A few weeks ago, some of our Eastern District pastors and I spent a day with Pastor Jim Cymbala at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. There were other pastors who joined us who were not EFCA pastors. We had a good time of fellowship and spent the day mostly talking about whatever the pastors wanted…

Bill Riedel And The Call To Minister To “Them”

Christian leaders are people who walk with Jesus and invite others to join them in that walk. The most effective Christian leaders refuse to become lazy or apathetic, and they accept the challenge to bring along incredibly different and unquestionably fallen people with them because they know this is what…

Come Apart Before You Come Apart

I’ve been a pastor for the last 38 years. At times, I have been in the groove of blessing, feeling like I am right where I’m supposed to be, walking in the light of God at work transforming lives. At other times, I have been in the dark, dry desert, wondering why I…

Relational Evangelism Even When It’s Tough

Years ago I was the president of my high school class. I was from a non-religious family where church was not even on the radar. But there was this kid in my class, Doug, whose dad was the pastor at the evangelical church in town.  We were friends and nearly…

When The Power Goes Out And The Party Is Over

In 2013 a Carnival Cruise Lines ship, the Triumph, lost power for 4 days off the coast of Mexico. Hundreds or maybe even thousands of the 4200 passengers became sick without running water and no air conditioning. The scene on the boat was terrible, as vomit and waste became unmanageable. Obviously,…