My friend Dawit (not his real name) is a 33-year-old immigrant from the troubled nation of Eritrea. When he was a teenager, he and his 11 siblings walked more than eight hours to the Sudanese border to escape the communist country. Eventually, in 2010, Dawit and his family arrived in the United States to seek […]
I was raised a Southern Baptist, but at age 18 I had a Pentecostal experience while still a Baptist. People jokingly refer to me now as a “Bapticostal” because they consider this a strange combination of doctrines. That’s because many Baptists are cessationists who believe the gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased operating after the
God loves to speak to us. Psalm 85:8 (NASB) says: “I will hear what God the Lord will say; for He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones.” At the right time, the Lord offers us a fresh word that can bring strength, guidance, confirmation or correction. I recall countless times when
If you are in crisis, please call 988 or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org. You are not alone. On the surface, contemporary Christian singer Mandisa epitomized success. She became a musical star after her appearance on “American Idol” in 2006 and won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Album in 2014. But those who read her interviews or followed her
Americans are stressed out. The problem was bad enough before the pandemic, but statistics skyrocketed during and after that crisis. Today, more than 42 million people in this country suffer from an anxiety disorder, according to Mental Health America, and we spend more than $18 billion annually on medications for anxiety and depression. Why are
About 22 years ago, I prayed the most dangerous prayer in the Bible while lying on the floor of a church in Florida. I repeated these words from Isaiah 6:8: “Here am I. Send me.” Then I cringed. I knew God would “mess me up good” in order to use me to touch others for
There are probably people in your church who have experienced sexual abuse, and they need love and support. When you minister to a victim of abuse, he or she needs to hear encouragement and affirmation, not suspicion or judgment. Here are five things you should say in this situation: 1. “I’m really sorry that happened.”
Years ago a distraught pastor in Florida got in his car in the church parking lot and put a gun to his head. He had been trapped for months in a cycle of sex addiction that involved pornography, massage parlors and encounters with prostitutes. The weight of guilt he carried got so heavy that he
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