All law can be summed up in loving God and loving people. Often our relationship with God is far less complicated than our relationships with others. Repairing our relationship with God is one-sided. God does not need to be fixed. Our relationships with others are more complicated because we deal with weakness, blind spots, stress, and lack of communication on both sides. Why are relationships so difficult? I believe there are at least seven barriers.   Read More

I am privileged to have pastored three growing churches. This has been a huge blessing. However, I have also felt the deep despair and heartache of struggle in ministry. Recently, during one of these downtimes, God spoke clearly to me about three areas of difficulty, and His words of encouragement brought me great relief.   Read More

There will always be people in the church who will leave out of protest or rebellion. I believe, however, the rebellious feelings within our culture have bled over into churches. I may not have answers to your political concerns, but allow me to try to address this as it applies to the church.   Read More

When no one follows, you still may be leading. I’ve often heard that a good test of leadership is if you look behind you and no one is following, then you must not be leading. The idea is that if you are a good leader, you will always communicate well, inspire confidence, and have a contagious vision. This will result in people following. But, during a recent fast, God reminded me that if Moses had made the popular decision at Mount Sinai, he would have led the Israelites back to Egypt. In John 6, the Bible says Jesus spoke with such confrontation that most of the people no longer followed.  Read More

There is something admirable and special about a person who refuses to quit amidst great adversity. We admire someone who keeps getting up after falling down time and time again. All of us go through circumstances in our lives when we’re tempted to quit, and the Akhwaris in life inspire us to keep going. We become tempted to give up in tough times because we feel hopeless. We think quitting would be the greatest feeling we could imagine, because it would rescue us from our stress and discouragement. However, there is a high cost for quitting before our race is over.   Read More

When we were children, our parents constantly pointed out our blind spots. It was their job to correct us so that we could grow to become better people. What happens when we become adults? Who is going to point out our blind spots? Who is going to wash our feet? Who will, humbly and gently, help us discover where we need to change in order to lead us to become more mature believers?  Read More

Dads are vitally important. The Bible says that fathers are the first symbol a child has of God. Dr. Kenneth Canfield, founder and President of the “National Center for Fathering,” wrote that when dads attend church regularly and take their family; children grow up to attend church 75% of the time. Conversely, he noted, when dads stay at home and moms take the children, only about 15% attend church regularly. But, what does dad need? Here are my thoughts:  Read More

His father had just passed away when Chris came to me for guidance. He was discouraged and admitted he doubted his faith. His reasoning was simple, and one we all can identify with. He said, “I felt I was doing the right things. I was a leader in the church, a good husband, and father. I just can’t believe a loving, heavenly Father would allow my dad to suffer as he did.” I listened as Chris told his story. At the end of our conversation, Chris summed up his feelings saying, “He may be a loving, heavenly Father, but I feel like I treat my kids a lot better than He treats His.” Chris was experiencing what I label as “spiritual vertigo.” That is, his faith couldn’t process what he was seeing, hearing, or experiencing. Chris doubted God’s love for him. He wondered if God even cared.   Read More

What can we do? Where do we find conviction? How can we confront without the conflict? Let me give you four insights.  Read More

No matter how we may feel, the Lord our God is always in our midst. He alone can save us from our sin. He rejoices over and loves you (individually) with a never-ending love. He feels a lively or triumphant joy; rejoices exceedingly; is highly elated or jubilant over YOU!!  Read More

One reason we suffer from an overabundance of stress is we take on responsibilities that God never meant for us to carry. Each of us possess certain gifts and talents, and the Lord knows what those attributes are. Likewise, He knows how much stress we can take. God’s way of rescuing us from stress over responsibility is by placing people in authority over us.  Read More

When we have someone in authority over us to shoulder decisions and subsequent responsibilities, it relieves pressure in our lives. However, when we want to not only have input, but also control every situation, we feel responsible for things God never intended for us to feel. This is insane.  Read More