Faith column

It's quite rare that I remember my friends' Facebook posts beyond the time it takes to read this sentence, but over the years there have been a few posts that have stuck with me. Several years back, one of them was this: "Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than...

Have you ever thought how beneficial to the advancement of God's Kingdom it would be if the Lord hired you as a strategist? I wonder if that makes me egocentric, or just unrealistic. As a former salesman, the account of Jesus feeding the 5,000 out of John Chapter 6 has always bothered...

I have had the privilege and the blessing of being able to meet and get to know some inmates at the Crow Wing County Jail. Each Monday afternoon I participate in three one-hour writers' workshops. We write for 20 minutes in silence, and then, if any of the men are willing, we read...

I appreciate it when someone helps to set me up for success instead of failure. When we live our way, instead of God's way, we are putting our security in imperfect ways. More than 2,000 years ago God gave His word in order to set His people up with success, and God's Word - His promises...

A recent study showed that 52 percent of Catholics are not certain they are able to have a relationship with God. It made my heart sink. Some think God is simply the "answer guy in the sky." Others think what they have done in their past disqualifies them from God's love and desire...

Have you ever felt like you were at the "top of your game," feeling fantastic, and then everything began to crumble? A professional golfer experienced that feeling. He had shoulder surgery, life was good, and then his shoulder pain returned. The timing couldn't have been worse. He...

My first truck was a very old Chevy. It had a cassette player, and included was an old cassette tape titled "Country hits of the '70s" or something like that. That is how I was introduced to Lynn Anderson's "Rose Garden." At that time, it was the only cassette tape I owned, and soon...

The testimony of Dr. C.I. Scofield of his conversion: "I was a drunken lawyer; I was 37 years old. One day one of my clients, Tom McPhetters, was in my office. When he started to go out, with his hand on the knob of the door, he turned and said, 'Scofield, I'm the biggest coward on...

As the former senior pastor of a large church with a large staff, I found myself consumed with being the very best leader I could be for my staff and people. I attended leadership conferences, read leadership books and even met with other leaders in my community so I could continue...

The death of our daughter, Maria, has become the most impactful experience of my life. I have never faced anything that has radically changed my existence in an instant. My faith, my marriage and my role as a father are probably more formative in my life than her death, but each of...

Memorial Day has come and gone and the clock is ticking on the three most important months up here in the Brainerd lakes area. Each year it seems that there is pressure to make the most of the days between Memorial Day and Labor Day. This is why we live here, why we endure the winters...

These are exciting times. For kids and parents, the end of the school year is not far off. I happen to have a graduating high school senior - my last - this year. He is looking very forward to the next experience of his life: college. I am grateful to strong teachers, excellent mentors...

Philippians 2:4 says, "Look not to your interests only but also to the interests of others." On Jan. 20, the people of the Crosslake Log Church took that message to heart as they wrote personal notes in books that they purchased to be delivered to inmates in area jails. The backstory...

When you really need to talk to someone, do you have a best friend you can call out to? Is the person approachable 24 hours a day? Isn't it a relief and comforting to know that when you need to talk to your best friend, you will never get your patience tested because of a busy signal,...