Last weekend, I preached at a church that meets in a big lecture hall on a university campus in Perth, Australia. Most of the congregation at Zion Praise Harvest Church consists of students from Singapore, China and Malaysia. Some of them met Jesus for the first time while in college.
Last weekend, I led a three-day retreat for 125 men in Pittsburgh. The guys came from more than a dozen states as well as Canada. There were teenagers, college students, 20-somethings, hipsters, jocks, young fathers, businessmen and a few retirees. And the ethnic mix included Ugandan, Korean, Ethiopian, Russian, Hispanic and Ghanaian.
Three years ago this month, my wife and I packed our belongings and made the biggest move of our lives. After living in Florida for 24 years, we pulled up our roots and relocated to Georgia. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done because I’m a sentimental guy who gets very attached to people and places. Yet I found extra grace for this transition because I knew I was following the Holy Spirit.
In one of my first Bible college world missions courses, I was introduced to pastor, author, and missions advocate Oswald J. Smith and his enduring classic, The Passion For Souls. Like many missions leaders with many years on this missional journey, our challenge is to maintain this passion and fulfill the only prayer request of the Lord of the Harvest.
If you watched the Democratic Party’s presidential debate last week, you’ll know why San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro got poor marks from so many commentators and viewers. Castro seemed to be attacking former Vice President Joe Biden for his age, implying that the 76-year-old candidate is losing his memory.
For years, I have been teaching on the dangers of spiritual heart disease. Over time, I’ve witnessed countless lives fall into the patterns of this disease that can often contribute to the condition of having a hard heart.
Now more than ever before, we need to watch over our hearts with diligence, as the times we live in can condition our hearts to become hardened.
A veteran world missions leader reflects upon a distinguished lifetime of missionary service from his friend and colleague, Bishop Martin Mutyebele who was laid to rest September 6, 2019 in Brussels, Belgium.
Judge Vance Day is a firm believer that godly men make godly men. And in turn, when men begin to behave in a godly manner, women and children in our culture can live in the safety and security God promises in His Word.
Soon after I came to faith in Jesus in 1971 as a 16-year-old, drug-abusing, hippie rock drummer, my father said to me, “Michael, I’m glad to see the changes in your life, but we’re Jews, and we don’t believe in this.”
This week, I’m hosting 16 guys in my home for a spiritual retreat. They are coming from nine states and one foreign country for three days of fellowship, teaching, prayer, hiking and Georgia barbecue. It will not be a one-way conversation. While I have some important advice to share, I’ll be listening more than talking.
