Posts

No One Was Sorry When He Died

“No one was sorry when he died.” That is a tough statement to hear, but it was made of Judah’s fifth king, Jehoram.… read more

George Whitefield’s Last Sermon

Following 34 years of ministry, George Whitefield (1714-1770) preached his final outdoor sermon on Saturday, September 29, 1770 in Exeter, NH. Today, a simple monument marks the location. … read more

Can God Use a Ten-Minute, Poorly Delivered Sermon?

The thirteen-year-old boy’s father was a pastor, as was his grandfather. He had been around gospel truth all his life, and yet something still hadn’t “clicked” for him. He was under conviction of sin and was yearning for peace and right relationship with God. His hunger was such that he set out by foot on a Sunday morning with the intention of attending a particular church.… read more

D. L. Moody’s Conversion and Rough Start

When D. L. Moody was just four years old, his father died and left the family — his widow and nine children — under great financial pressure. Creditors took all their possessions, even their firewood. He experienced massive challenges growing up, only finished the fifth grade, and left home at the age of seventeen. … read more

Visit to D. L. Moody Museum

Lisa and I recently had a long layover in Chicago yesterday, so we made a visit to the D. L. Moody Museum at Moody Bible Institute. Moody has been a hero of mine for some time.… read more

Paul and Barnabas on Cyprus

In August of 2023, Lisa and I had the privilege of visiting Cyprus for a few days. While there, we did some exploring… visiting the places where Paul and Barnabas first stepped on to and off the island on the first leg of their first missionary journey. … read more

Brother Hagin’s Injury and Prophetic Insights

In his classic work, I Believe in Visions, Brother Hagin shares several outstanding experiences he had with the Lord. One of these took place in El Paso, Texas. Brother Hagin describes how the Lord visited him in the hospital following an accident that took place during a church service. … read more

A Healing Hymn from the Reformation

Ulrich Zwingli was a key leader in the Protestant Reformation. He led the Swiss Reformation from Zurich while Martin Luther spearheaded the effort in Germany. Though not as famous as Luther, Zwingli nevertheless played a major role in the blossoming movement.… read more

It Was Never Easy

Moody knew what he was talking about. While Moody was preaching on Sunday evening, October 8, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire began. In addition to Moody’s church and home being consumed, 100,000 were left homeless and approximately 17,000 structures were destroyed. An estimated 300 people died.… read more

Remembering Maria Woodworth-Etter

Lisa and I arrived in Indianapolis yesterday to visit family in the area. As we came into town, Lisa and I drove to a cemetery on the east side of Indianapolis to visit the grave of Maria Woodworth-Etter, a noted evangelist who lived from 1844-1924. … read more

Devotional Thoughts from Tozer’s Life

In October of 2022, I was privileged to visit the grave of A. W. Tozer, one of the great evangelical voices of the twentieth century. I’ve been profoundly influenced by his writings and wanted to share a few thoughts about him in the following, brief video. Following the video, I’ve shared a number of quotes from his writings.… read more

Remembering Zinzendorf

Count Nikolaus von Zinzendorf is not widely known among American Christians today, but were it not for him, we might have never heard of John Wesley.… read more

Reflections on William Branham

Many modern Pentecostal and Charismatic believers have heard a good bit about William Branham. He was considered by many to be the leading prophetic voice during the healing revival of the 40’s and 50’s.  … read more

Why Did King Charles III Do That?

Shortly after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the announcement was made that her son, Prince Charles, would succeed her and would be known as King Charles III. … read more

Tyndale: Consecration, Partnership, and Impact

He was born two years after Columbus sailed west and discovered the Americas. His martyrdom preceded Martin Luther’s death by ten years. His contribution to the church was of incalculable worth.… read more

Reflections From Visiting Spurgeon’s Grave

On a recent trip to Europe (August 2022), Lisa and I were able to visit Charles Spurgeon’s grave at the West Norwood Cemetery in London. Before traveling to England, we had been in Nice, France and also visited Menton, France.… read more

It is NOT New! How the Early Church Dealt with Abortion and Infanticide

Early Christian writers spoke both about abortion and the common practice at that time of “abandoning” or “exposing” unwanted infants at birth. In the time of the Roman Empire, it was not uncommon for parents to abandon an unwanted infant in the woods or to leave them along a roadside.… read more

No Kenosis, No Christmas

As Christmas approaches, I have been enjoying Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book, God in the Manger. Bonhoeffer was a leader in Germany’s Confessing Church, believers who stood in opposition to Hitler and his policies. He was eventually imprisoned and was executed mere weeks before the Allied troops overtook and defeated the Nazis to end WWII in Europe. … read more

When Christmas Put a War on Hold

A pastor friend just contacted me and let me know he was going to be sharing some thoughts on a few of the Christmas Carols in their Sunday service and asked if I had any thoughts. My heart was immediately gladdened because many of the songs about Christ’s birth carry such rich and profound meaning. … read more

Who Are “the Lapsed” and Why Do They Matter?

In the early centuries of the church, those who denied their faith in times of persecution were said to have “lapsed.” Those who persevered in their faith and refused to recant or to compromise were called “confessors.” In other words, they truly held fast the confession of their faith despite imprisonment and torture, sometimes unto death. … read more

The Real Saint Nicholas

Those in the USA know all about Santa Claus… North Pole, Reindeer, Chimneys, Gifts, Jolly, etc. But way behind all of the myth and lore, there really was a Saint Nicholas. … read more

Do the Seven Churches Represent Seven “Ages” of the Church?

The question I receive most frequently about the Seven Churches of Revelation is this: Do the Seven Churches Represent Seven “Ages” of the Church? If so, what age of the church are we in now?  … read more

Visiting D.L. Moody Sites in Massachusetts

I was recently privileged to minister in Seekonk, MA, and Lisa and I were able to visit some of the historic sites in Boston on the Saturday prior (thank you Pastor John and Anita Pfeffer).… read more

What About the Martyrs? (Part 2)

Many of us who have grown up in the United States have never experienced significant persecution first-hand, and it may be hard to relate to the hostile environment in which the early church emerged, or the types of persecution that believers in many other parts of the world experience yet today. … read more

What About the Martyrs?

Good-hearted people have been grieved and repulsed these last several days about the prospects of what Christians and other groups (women and girls in particular) have already begun facing at the hands of the Taliban and associated groups in Afghanistan. Regrettably, Christians being targeted for torture and death is not entirely new news. In 2015, the world was horrified as they saw pictures of twenty-one Coptic Christians in orange jumpsuits kneeling on a beach in Libya before members of ISIS beheaded them. … read more