Historically the United States of America has been a country which based its actions and vision for the future on the teachings found in the Bible. While trade was a major reason for the first settlements in the New World, religious freedom was even more important to most of those who made the dangerous journey across the Atlantic Ocean.

Many came to America with the view that European settlers were like the Israelites going into the Promised Land. However, they had a problem. Other people were already living here. In order for them to claim their God-given property, they viewed the Native Americans to be like the Philistines which needed to be driven out. This interpretation of Scripture allowed them to massacre the Indians with a clear conscience. (more…)

Do you believe Satan is real?

In 1986, Pope John Paul II said “[The devil exists and] is a cosmic liar and murderer…[who] has the skill in the world to induce people to deny his existence in the name of rationalism and of every other system of thought which seeks all possible means to avoid recognizing his activity.” We also see from the gospels that Jesus believed he was real. Do you agree with Pope John Paul II and, more importantly, Jesus?

According to a 2013 article for the Washington Examiner, only 57% of Americans believe the devil is real. Denying his existence blinds us to the havoc he creates in our world because we then blame his actions on other things, such as bad luck.

The Devil is real. He does attack and harass God’s children. In 2013, my seminary cohort experienced his attacks when we had to go to Vietnam and Cambodia for a school trip. It happened during a visit to a Buddhist temple complex in southern Vietnam. The complex is located outside Chua Doc at a place called Stone Mountain. (more…)

Please prayerfully answer the following question: In my walk with Jesus, am I thriving – or merely surviving?

Are you growing closer to the Lord as you get older or are you struggling to hold onto and live out your faith? Perhaps you’re somewhere in the middle. Your faith is strong but, at times, your struggles seem overwhelming. (more…)

Basically my father and I have a close relationship. After I graduated from high school, I worked in our family business for almost two decades where dad was my boss. I made a conscious decision to respect him even when I thought differently than he did. Occasionally we would disagree. On rare occasions we would argue. When an argument did take place, we would keep the argument focused on the issues at hand. We never allowed them to morph into personal attacks.

I remember one time during the winter months when dad and I were at odds over a couple of issues and I was frustrated with him. It just so happened that it snowed during this time. Normally, dad took his golf cart with the snow blade attached and plowed my driveway right after he plowed his. This time, for whatever reason, he didn’t plow my driveway. I knew I was more than welcome to get the golf cart and do it myself. It took roughly 3 minutes to plow our driveway. Did I do this? No I didn’t. Since I was already frustrated with dad, I chose to clear the snow by hand with a shovel. (more…)