The citizenship of heaven will be made up of people from every ethnic and language group on Earth. God’s kingdom has no place for ethnocentrism, racism, or prejudice. Prejudice simply means to “pre-judge” someone—that is, judging without the benefit of all the facts about him or her, which no human will ever have. Only God … More It’s just a joke?
After we admit our brokenness and cry out to God about it, we should share our brokenness with others so that they can help us carry the burden. We were not meant to do life alone. Paul told the Galatian Christians to “carry each other’s burdens,” saying that “in this way you will fulfill the … More Carrying Help
Everyone is broken in some way, and life is far too short not to deal with it. An honest description of who I am would be, “Mike is a broken man who is in the process of being healed by Jesus.” Brokenness usually comes from two main sources: We can be broken because someone sinned … More Crying out in a Cornfield
Trying to live the truthful life will put you in direct conflict with Satan. Jesus called Satan the “father of lies.” Jesus said that when Satan speaks, he speaks his native language—lying (John 8:44). Satan is a master deceiver, so we shouldn’t be surprised that he particularly likes convincing us that lying is no big … More Open Closets
We are called to live truthful lives in the middle of a culture of lies and deception. News today has given way to spin, manipulation of the facts to put politicians, business leaders, and entertainers in the best possible light. But Christians have been warned not to conform to this world (Romans 12:2). Many people … More Without a Mask
We must learn to keep short accounts with the people we love. Not too long ago, when I was writing a book chapter about the topic of forgiveness, real life paid me a visit. My wife Julie and I had a heated argument about mowing our yard—and I raised my voice in anger. I see … More Leader of the Mowing!
I have learned that the power of temptation and addiction can be broken by dragging our sins into the light by confessing them. In spring 2005, I led a group of Christian University students on a short-term mission trip to Montreal, Quebec. Our team of ten students split up in the evenings, staying with different … More An Embarrassing Confession
Opinions differ about the Roman Catholic practice of confessing to a priest. But I think that Roman Catholics are onto something—confession offers something mysteriously powerful and healing. I would like to extend the practice of confession to a doctrine called “the priesthood of all believers.” The Apostle Peter told first-century Christians that they were a … More You are a Priest!
During the end of my family’s second term of missionary service in the DR Congo, I committed what in that society was a cardinal sin. My wife and I, trying to fix up a house before leaving for the United States for a year of furlough, were having some masonry work done and were also … More A Yelling Missionary
I lived with a specific unconfessed sin for a long time. I committed the sin when I was a green missionary during my first term of service in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I still remember walking away from Ed, a missionary colleague, the day I burned out his circular saw. I thought to … More A Lying Missionary
