It seems that being a woman isn’t what it used to be. Nor being a man.

Seeds, though tiny, were central to the outcome of the entire gardening enterprise. I’d watch Dad as he’d take a seed or two, carefully opening the moist, cool, cultivated soil—cultivation was essential—and inserting the seed into the soft dirt and gently covering it up. Then pressing it down.

Seeds contain the mysteries—and the success or failure—of growth, the outcome of the harvest, and the enjoyment of the bounty. They had to be planted in the right manner in the right soil.

The year was 1986. The boy, raised in church, knew God and knew how to pray just as Jesus taught his disciples in Luke 18:1 – praying always and not giving up.

He was without recognition or honor. Or money. He painted more than 1,500 works of art in his lifetime. He sold one.

“One must go on working silently,” said the artist, “trusting the result to the future.”

Evil is manifested more clearly in politics than in many other professions or activities in our culture. The shades of grey seem to be darker. Ethics are twisted to produce the results that politicians desire

In our culture today, politics is seen by the Body of Christ as one of those yucky, muddy things that we don’t want to have anything to do with. Yet, whether we realize it or not, politics and government affect our lives more than anything else.

In a time when the Early Church was ridiculed for their belief that Jesus was the Messiah, a layman, not an apostle, took center stage as he bore the wrath of the religious crowd.

As Christians, when we start participating in the culture we discover some harsh realities. People are not always kind, and it is not easy to be a Christ-follower engaging within a hostile world.

Jesus taught that the first shall be last, the last shall be first, and whoever would be the greatest must be the servant of all (Matthew 19:30, Mark 10:43-44). This is an “upside-down kingdom.”

Without a prepared text he was at times inarticulate. His gift was not brilliance or wit as much as it was incorruptible character. He spoke simply, clearly, and from his heart about his journey to this time and place.

During the journeys described in Acts 17-20, Paul went from city to city and experienced rejection, abuse, false accusations, and threats of violence from those around him, because he consistently and faithfully presented the Gospel message.

Over this series of articles we will dig deeply into Scripture to learn what wisdom, love, and godly conduct look like. We’ll look at character, virtue, manners, and issues like Cancel Culture and Political Correctness.

Questions. Rumors. Charges. Confusion. Devotion and hate. Allegiance and plots. Criticism and fault-finding, mingled with loyalty and following. Awe and wonder, along with jealousy and cynicism. He was divisive. Not because he tried to be—God knows he was kind, humble, and gentle—but because of what he said, where he went, who he saw, and what he did. Most of all, because of who he said he was—and because what he claimed about himself—amazing and mysterious—was true.

If God has not given us a spirit of fear, why are so many in Church leadership in the United States fearful? Fearful of government, fearful of the media, fearful of the culture, fearful of public opinion, fearful of losing members – and with them donations.

God is our refuge. Our fortress. We trust in him to deliver us from the raging storms of life—whenever and however they come. Out in the world, the tempest surges with the dangers of the fowler’s snare—seeking to trap us into sin, despair, depression, and defeat.

In one day, the intercession and action of people over the decades and nation was answered…No longer are we a nation that collectively gives the right to take the lives of the most innocent when they are the most vulnerable. This is a rebirthing of our identify as a nation. THIS IS VICTORY and this is the timing of the Lord.

Many evangelical church leaders worry about the IRS overstepping its bounds. Secular activists push the Biden Administration to use the Johnson Amendment to silence pastors’ free speech. What should we do to make sure ministry leaders’ First Amendment rights are protected?

Our Jewish friends are under attack!

If we call ourselves Christ followers, we need to stand up loudly against these movements that are springing up on our college campuses and around the nation.

We need to be aware that Marxist philosophies and anti-Semitic philosophies disguised as new “theologies” are sneaking into our churches.

Does one vote even matter?

The significance of just one vote, one voice… is huge.