12/16/2013 — The linguists/publishers of Oxford Dictionaries annually choose a word of the year – and for 2013, they chose “selfie.” For the uninitiated, a “selfie” is an electronic picture taken of oneself, by oneself, sometimes with others, often with the camera feature of the subject’s own mobile phone. It can be taken while pointing the camera at a mirror or at arm’s length. Recently, President Barack Obama stirred up a bit of controversy at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service when news photographers captured him shooting a selfie with other world leaders.

It’s hard for me to muster up much outrage, or even interest, in what the president did in what was clearly a collegial atmosphere with men and women who are his peers. It’s his business, and it’s not nearly as important as what he believes about public policy. But the prominent example of our “selfie” culture interests me, because I believe it says much about our attitude toward the things of God in general and the cross in particular.

Certainly many of us are fearfully and wonderfully made. But is there any better metaphor than the “selfie” for a people who have become convinced that this life is all about them?Read More

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12/09/2013 — As I would imagine most churches have done, World Harvest Church has decorated for Christmas. It’s been quite an operation, with volunteers working to set up trees and other seasonal displays over the course of the week to add to what’s already in our foyers, in our tabernacle and other public areas of the church. It was impressive!

Probably many of you have done the same thing on a smaller scale in your homes. Then, sometime after Christmas, the artificial trees, lights, and other supplies will get put away and stored until next year. I don’t mind this at all – in fact, Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. But I’ve been thinking lately about how adding new items to already crowded places might be an apt metaphor for our lives this time of year.Read More

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11/22/2013 — I’ve learned many patterns for prayer over the years – though nothing is better than the one Jesus gave the disciples in what we call the Lord ’s Prayer. But that’s another post for another day. One of those is the acronym ACTS, standing for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication.

It seems to me that we in the Church too often shorten ACTS to AS. We’re good at telling God He’s great and at asking Him for things. Less so at confessing our sins and thanking Him.

Shortly after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, and days before entering Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday, Jesus taught His disciples, and us, a lesson in thanksgiving we still need to heed.Read More

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11/18/2013 — Sometimes, I think Peter gets a bad rap.
Sure, Jesus must have gotten more frustrated with him than the other disciples. So impulsive, and not the most people-oriented person. But he remains a model for how to be sold out for Jesus. And if you’ve got that, we can work on the rest as far as I’m concerned.

I’ve been thinking about Peter this past week, as I reflect on the Worldwide Miracle, Healing and Victory Prayer Cloth service I hosted recently at World Harvest Church. It was a true mountaintop experience for myself and many others associated with this ministry. But just like Peter needed to come down from Mount Hermon after the Transfiguration, we need to move on to what’s next for us.Read More

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11/08/2013 — More than a decade ago, in 2002, the ecumenical men’s ministry Promise Keepers coined a rallying cry that inspired believers across a broad cross-section of faith expressions to one-on-one evangelism: bringing 1 million men to the cross.

It was brilliant, because it accurately quantified the evangelist’s charge: to bring people face to face with the atoning work of Jesus Christ, at which point the work of conversion and discipleship – His work – could begin. It’s important to remember that we can’t save anyone. But we can introduce our friends, neighbors, co-workers and family members to the One who can. When a broken life becomes whole again at the foot of the cross, we rightly call it a miracle. And I’ve been fortunate enough to see many such miracles over more than 30 years of public ministry.

I am looking forward to being a small part of hundreds of thousands of miracles this coming weekend, when our Worldwide Miracle, Healing and Victory Prayer Cloth service is held in Columbus, Ohio. Like the Promise Keepers of the turn of the century, we will be bringing people to the cross, and letting God do in their lives what only He can. Read More

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