Let me begin with this personal experience …

It had been nearly three years since I had talked to Pete. He was an alcoholic whom I had tried to counsel for a while. But Pete wouldn’t take responsibility for his problem and finally stopped seeing me. So I was surprised one night at home to get a phone call from him.

On the phone, he wasn’t very pleasant. He asked a favor from me that I was unable to fulfill, to which he responded with a long string of profanity. “I hate you!” he continued.

“Pete, that’s your choice. But I love you,” was my response. That made him even angrier. It’s no fun to hate someone when that person won’t hate you back. Finally he sputtered, “I’m going to get you!” and hung up. (more…)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3

Why isn’t the average Christian experiencing freedom in Christ in his or her daily life? I think it’s directly related to a lack of understanding of the riches he or she has in Christ Jesus.

One of the greatest illustrations I know of the importance of spiritual knowledge is the true story of a man name Ira Yates. Orphaned at age 12, Ira worked hard to make a decent living. Like many of us, he struggled to get ahead. (more…)

Suppose you were on a game show and $5,000,000 in cash was riding on the answer to a single question. If you get it right, you’re financially set for life. If not you’re paying for taxi and plane fare home. … Ready? … Here’s your question: “True or False? The divorce rate for Christians is at least 7% lower than the divorce rate for non-Christian couples.” Cut to commercial.

The Barna Research Group recently conducted a survey on divorce in America. From their study they discovered that: “Overall, 33% of all born-again individuals, who have been married, have gone through a divorce which is statistically identical to the 34% incidence among non born-again adults.”

Well, how did you do with the question? Did you win, or go home on a stand-by flight at 4 am? Are you wondering how the lost and saved could be in such a ‘dead heat’ over experiencing divorce? Are you wondering why we see virtually no difference in such a vital aspect of family and society? (more…)

This month, People to People asked one of our staff members, Richard Peifer, to share his reflections and those of his wife, Lois, as their last child graduates from high school and prepares to leave for college this fall.

I find myself crying a little more these days. Not big cries. Those will come later. It’s mostly just private moments with a lump in my throat and tears welling up when the realization hits me that he’s leaving – my “baby boy” (who is almost as tall as I am, and faster, and stronger) is about to head off to college.

It’s not that I didn’t feel this way when my daughter left five years ago. But, somehow, it is different this time. He’s my son, and we share things that I didn’t share with her. Mostly, though, it’s because he’ll be the last to leave home. (more…)

My son, Bobby, had just graduated from college and was involved in the hard process of finding that first job. I invited him to get together for breakfast to see if I could offer some encouragement and advice. We had a long, profitable discussion about work, the business world, and interviewing. As our conversation was winding down, Bobby said, “Dad, thanks a lot for your time.”

“You know,” he continued, “one thing I’ve always known is that you love me. I’ve never doubted it. You’ve shown me that in all kinds of ways.” I was naturally pleased to hear that, but somehow, it didn’t seem complete. I pondered for a few seconds, and then God seemed to put a new thought in my mind. (more…)