“You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.” (Isaiah 58:4) I have a good friend, a pastor, in whom I often confide. On one occasion when I thought God was calling me to confront someone regarding what I considered to be a poor witness, he told me to commit one day to prayer and fasting. Well, I certainly understood the value of prayer in such matters, but why should I fast? I had never fasted in my life for any […]

“In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30) In 1991 the consequences of wrong choices finally caught up with me. I had nowhere to go and no one to whom I could turn. I actually began to think about killing myself. I’m not sure if I had enough courage to take my life, but it bothered me that suicide made any sense at all. In desperation, I got down on my knees one night and made a promise […]

“Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.” (1 Peter 1:15) This week I was involved in settlement negotiations over some litigation that had been working its way through the courts for several years. I realized as I sat through an afternoon of discussions that the very principles, which originally prompted the lawsuit, had somehow gotten lost among all of those lawyers. While they argued over legal fees, the real issues about winch we were supposed to be fighting no longer […]

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16) My pastor once lamented from the pulpit that prayer was losing its appeal among Christians. It’s a sad commentary, but I agree with him. My own Christian experience has convinced me that a lot of Christians do not avail themselves of the power and privilege of prayer. Stop and think about it. How often do you see a […]