faith

Thoughts on the Asbury Revival

Thoughts on the Asbury Revival

Today, in the humble town of Wilmore, KY revival is unfolding. The Asbury Revival has been ongoing for 9 days now. But you don’t have to travel to Kentucky to experience it. The same Holy Fire that is burning at Asbury is available to YOU! The Holy Spirit that is filling the Asbury worshippers can fill you. Just ask the Lord. He is faithful to answer.

The Gift of a Holy Pause

The Gift of a Holy Pause

There’s a certain quietness that settles in during the days after Christmas. The beautiful chaos of Christmas morning is tidied, and there is a quiet aftermath following the glorious raucous. It’s natural to feel a bit let-down. But what if there’s more to this in-between? What if we’re missing something? What if these few days between Christmas and New Year’s Day are a precious gift we’ve yet to unwrap …

In the End Only Two Things will Matter
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In the End Only Two Things will Matter

I attended the homegoing of a friend the other day, a friend who battled cancer and ultimately beat it when she walked into glory and into the presence of Jesus. And as I sat in that service and looked around at everyone she’d touched, at the sanctuary full of hundreds of people whose lives are richer because she knew Jesus and they knew her, it hit me … in the end, the only things that will matter are how we loved Jesus and how we loved others.

Kindness and Conviction
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Kindness and Conviction

Throughout the last 14 years, the Lord has graciously used my children to refine me, and this situation was no different. In that moment I was keenly aware of the power of my words and my reaction. But just as quickly as the Lord convicted me, he also reminded me that His mercies are new each morning and his grace is sufficient. Because when the Lord convicts, he also comforts. It’s his kindess that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4).

God Qualifies the Called

God Qualifies the Called

Whoever she is, wherever she is, there is a woman who needs to hear this. God doesn’t call the qualified; he qualifies the called.

He called a shepherd boy to slay a giant. He called a stuttering man to command freedom for His people. He called a prisoner to interpret dreams, a young girl to save her race, a virgin to deliver His son.

Friend … He’s calling you too.

Remembering Kim Jones & Wedgwood Baptist Church

Remembering Kim Jones & Wedgwood Baptist Church

Twenty-three years ago, my dear friend Susan Kimberly Jones (Kim) was taken from us too early in a shooting at Wedgwood Baptist Church. And yet … Kim’s story doesn’t end with tragedy. Hers is a story of victory! Because through it all … through the loss and the blinding heartache and the searing pain, there is an unexplainable peace that comes with the knowledge that Kim’s departure on this earth heralded her arrival into the arms of Jesus!

Mourning and the Nearness of God

Mourning and the Nearness of God

Nearly 23 years ago, a man walked into a youth rally in Fort Worth and opened fire. I lost my friend that night, and I am forever changed because of it. Two decades later, I still carry around the trauma. Sometimes it is passive. Other times it comes charging back with the same anguish and fear. This week it all came roaring back with another headline, another shooting and another incomprehensible tragedy.