Do you ever feel like it would be easier to solve all your problems yourself? Wouldn’t it feel great to make your financial worries disappear? Or bypass uncomfortable conversations with friends? Don’t you wish you could make yourself more patient, more disciplined, or more talented? In a moment, your… Read More

I was barely a teenager when I dove into my first one-year Bible reading plan. My text was the Good News Bible—a gift from my father who believed I would enjoy its ease of readability and simple drawings. He was right. Night after night, I pulled that cream-colored,… Read More

In my spiritual journey, reading Scripture has been the source of great blessing and instruction. St. Paul, in his letter to his young protégé Timothy, wrote: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living,… Read More

I want to read my Bible, but I don’t know where to start. And when I do sit down to read, I don’t know the first thing to do once I start reading. What should I do? I’ve heard this statement countless times. Because of this, over the… Read More

In his Anti-Pelagian Writings, St. Augustine speaks of the relationship between the Old and New Testaments: This grace hid itself under a veil in the Old Testament, but it has been revealed in the New Testament according to the most perfectly ordered dispensation of the ages, forasmuch as… Read More

The following reflection can be the starting point for a small group encounter based on Galatians 5:22-23. As a leader, make your own personal application and then help your group to come to grips with the challenges allowing the Word of God to “expand” your soul. How do you… Read More

“Engagement” is a buzzword in both business and the church these days. Companies want to ensure their employees are engaged because engaged employees are more passionate and productive, more team-oriented, and more committed to the mission and vision of the organization. Engaged employees aren’t just hired hands who come… Read More

The following reflection can be the starting point for a small group encounter based on Ephesians 4:29-30. As a leader, make your own personal application and then help your group to come to grips with the challenges of shaping speech for the edification of their listeners. I grew… Read More

Engaging millennials has been a growing concern for church leaders in the past several years, especially since in recent decades millennials are reported to be the fastest growing group of “nones”—the religiously unaffiliated. But while some millennials may be leaving the church, recent research by Billy Graham Center executive… Read More

After nearly 30 years of pastoral and missionary ministry I had read many books, always interested in the latest contribution of the popular writers on pastoral ministry, Scripture engagement, and evangelization. During my last three years of active pastoral ministry, I made a commitment to read only writers that… Read More