“And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.” (James 5:15) When I entered the healing room that day I was shocked by what I saw. It looked like a funeral parlor with no room to spare. I don’t know when I’ve felt more uncomfortable in a church. One of the lay workers who was assisting the pastor sensed my shock at what was going on. As I looked on the […]

“For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.” (Matthew 13:15) We have allowed our beliefs to be grounded more by circumstances and experiences than by God’s Word. Indeed, the Prophet Jeremiah was right when he told us, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9) Jack Deere, […]

“O you who hear prayer, to you all men will come.” (Psalm 65:2) I am grateful that I have friends who pray for my family and me. I realize that I sometimes have needs about which I do not know what to say to God. That’s why the Apostle James encourages us to “…pray for each other…” (James 5:16) The fact is there are situations where my needs can best be expressed by others who are not too close to the forest to see the trees. It’s no […]

“Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.” (2 Timothy 2:16) I was in church recently when an old friend of mine came to visit. It was the strangest thing. My wife and I were just talking about him. He was out of work and we just felt so sorry for him. As I watched him take his seat, I couldn’t help but wonder how he was handling his crisis. I’ve been out of work before and I haven’t forgotten the […]