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On my walk this morning I enjoyed the opportunity to soak in the cool but comfortable temperature, the sun rising in a pristine blue sky, and the fragrance of linden trees wafting in the air.  Ah, the first days of June, with summer just a few weeks away (and already...

Don’t just pray, prepare! Learn how to actively partner with God in seeing revival, growth, and impact in your church and personal walk. This post unpacks practical steps from scripture to prepare for God’s blessings.

BE READY! Here in my part of Ohio, we just endured another round of extreme spring weather.  It included a tornado watch, as well as a few tornado warnings (“…radar-indicated rotation has been identified…”).  The broadcast weather experts pulled no punches, making...

As I write this, the US President’s speech to a joint session of Congress is just a few evenings past.  Elements of that event echo in my mind: the partisanship, the confrontational messages, the striking division evident in the room, the “over the top” demonstrations...

Dear Death, I’m writing to clear the air on the relationship between you and me.   Put directly, we are DONE—I am through with your efforts to manipulate me and everyone I care about.   I know you’re going to go on that rant again about how no one escapes you,...

We enter 2025 with differing opinions of how 2024 went for us.  For some, it was a year of victories and blessings; for others, it was a year of challenges and setbacks; for the majority, it was likely a mix of both.   So, what should we expect for this fresh new...

As I write this, I sense that the “tone of the times” seems focused on the brokenness around us.  Whether the discussion is political, economic, social, or personal, the tendency is to zoom in on the uncertainty and challenges ahead.   In such dark times, the...

Those who have been part of the East Central Region for a while know our mission as a combined family of churches: “To partner with the Church in Ohio and West Virginia to represent the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every man, woman and child.”  I’ve often highlighted the...

As I write this, the November elections loom just over the horizon. In past years, I’ve been approached by Christians asking, “should I vote?” and “for whom?” I’ve counseled that since God gives us the privilege of living in a nation in which our vote can influence...

I’m not sure most of us as Christians live as aware as we should be of the Biblical teaching that Jesus-followers are to consider themselves “dead.” The scriptural evidence is clear: I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me....

We have once again celebrated July 4th, marking the 248th year since our founding fathers announced the Declaration of Independence. Flags have flown, fireworks have been displayed, and fresh performances of “God Bless America” have been shared. It begs a critical...

We disciples of Jesus are in a continual process of transformation. We are called to a life of becoming more and more like Jesus and less and less like ourselves as we pursue a growing relationship with God, with other Christians, and with those who have yet to make a...

I can’t say it loudly enough—“It’s about relationships!” We as Christians must remind ourselves again and again that the core of our lives as disciples of Jesus is not religious activity; the indispensable aspect is our relational connection with God and with others....

The miracle of the fallen walls of Jericho recorded in Joshua 5-6 is among the most familiar Old Testament stories. The Israelites marching around the walls, the trumpets and shouting, and the “against all odds” disintegration of an up-until-then impenetrable barrier...

I was deployed with the US Army just 2 weeks after the attacks of 9/11. Eventually, much of our unit found its way to Afghanistan where we were assigned several interpreters. I connected with an interpreter from Pakistan who happened to be Christian. We became very...