Biblical hope is the joyful, confident anticipation and expectation of something that is certain; specifically, the joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation. In other words, God wants us to live with confident certainty that He is going to keep his promise to us. ...
The picture of an anchor points to something that gives stability in times of shaking or trouble. To anchor the soul means that our souls – our heart, our minds, our emotions – have a source of stability. And that source of stability is the hope we have. And this is where we get into the content of that hope: it is a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain. ...
The ability to keep your eye on the prize and live in JOY through the midst of trials is an indicator of the purity and the quality of your faith. ...
Our salvation is not "manufactured by man" but by God. And the same thing is true of the hope we’re talking about. I’m not encouraging you to start thinking optimistic thoughts; I’m inviting you to step into something GOD has created....
Another way living hope is described is as a guaranteed future. He points to two dimensions of the guarantee – He keeps an inheritance safe for us, and He protects us so that we can receive the inheritance He has for us....
2020 was a hard year. Will 2021 be better? The prophets teach us how to think about the new year. ...
Feeling beset by enemies inside and out, David reminds us in Psalm 144 that God is the God of all provision, the God of more than enough, the God who provides everything we need to not only survive - but thrive - and to enjoy his blessing....
We live in an unprecedented time of change; in Joshua 1 we learn principles for moving forward in God's purpose even when the future is uncertain....
Mary teaches us by example, and Jesus by his words, of the priority of listening to God....
It is not a political statement to affirm that there is no room for racism; this is a non-negotiable tenet of God's kingdom....
Following Jesus in times of turbulence draws us to trust God more....
The gospel is more than justification, but it is never less than God's declaration of 'not guilty' to sinners who repent and believe....
We continue to equip people from across Europe with theological foundations and practical ministry skills to be effective leaders for God's harvest in Europe....
To live a life of significance and pleasing to God, Grace is the best coach you will ever have....
God's grace not only takes us to the mountain peaks but sustains through times of darkness and difficulty....
Seeing the dream is the first step to living the dream God has for us....
As Christ's body, we share a vital life-link with Jesus, our head. It is through the gospel and by his Spirit that we come to share in his life....
As we launch into a new year and a new decade, the Lord offers vision correction to help us see from his perspective....
God's grace is more than amazing, more than beautiful, and more than sufficient to accomplish all the good God intends to bring into our lives. It's much, much more than you realised....
This beautiful and familiar hymn by Charles Wesley, amended by George Whitefield, is packed with solid truth to enrich our understanding of Christmas....
God's kingdom grows in our lives as his word takes root and bears fruit....
Jesus uses the metaphor of light explain the impact in our lives of hearing God's word well...
Jesus doesn't leave us alone, and he doesn't leave us where we are. He has purpose, destiny, and intention for our lives, but to get there, we have to go through storms....
God invites us to breakthrough the barriers that prevent us from experiencing all the blessing he has for us....
Evaluting the price Jesus asks us to pay in light of the promised pay out....
An up and down emotional life can be unhealthy, but there is a kind of up and down rhythm to following Jesus important for living life well....
God's promises are worth waiting for, but waiting can be hard work. Keeping our eye on the prize makes it easier....
If we can recognise the identity of the baby born in Bethlehem, we can be rightly aligned to God by enthroning Jesus as our Lord and King....
Like God's people giving thanks for deliverance from Egypt and turning to enter the promised land, we celebrate what God has done but extend our faith for the future God has for us....
Jesus inducts his followers into apprenticeship by teaching them to live with eternal perspective....
Jesus invites us to invite the ways of the kingdom as we represent God to the world....
Jesus invites us to a beautiful life by understanding the power of reciprocity: what we throw at others comes back to hit us on the head....
Jesus teaches us how to build strong lives that, like well-built structures, don't collapse when storms rage against them....
We all like being praised for our accomplishments; Jesus offers us a unique kind of commendation....
It is impossible to have a neutral attitude towards Jesus: either we remain the managing director of our own life, or we recognise him for who he is, and submit to him - the King of kings and the Lord of lords....
In giving us a mission to go to the ends of the earth with the gospel, Jesus hasn't left us alone: the Holy Spirit empowers us to complete the Father's mission....
In a world marked by pain and suffering, God has given us the greatest gift; in Christ, God answers our most fundamental issue....
God is a father who loves us enough to search until he finds us. And when he finds us, he throws a really big party....
It may come as a surprise, but Jesus made a point of going to parties. We may think of Jesus as an emaciated desert wanderer who spoke in chapter and verse, but in truth, he was the hot ticket item in the Galilee social scene. This meant he got party invitations, but when he showed up, it was a party with a difference....
When we are willing to trade our dignity for desperation to experience all God has for us, good things happen....
To hit the target, we need to know the target. If we listen to Jesus, he's crystal clear on what that target is....
When we believe the story of His Son we step into the destiny God created for us....
When Jesus finally speaks in Luke's gospel, his first words teach us about his identity....
We can run, but we can't hide; we will all have an encounter with God, and he invites us to get ready....
Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem drew praise from his disciples and reminds us that He is worthy of all the praise we can give him...
The resurrection of Jesus marks the launch of his mission to the world. ...
By building our lives on the promises of God we are positioned for the future - whatever it brings....
The manger of Jesus' birth illustrates the extremes God went to for our salvation: He identified with our poverty that we might share his glory....
Word's spoken by John's father at his dedication give us insight into an amazing destiny - both his and ours...
The fellowship of faith sparks songs of faith that empower a life of faith....
We are touching the nations of Europe with the gospel through equipping leaders at our school of ministry....
Jesus teaches us that 'all things are possible for him who believes'; the circumstances surrounding his birth illustrate this...
Zechariah and Elizabeth were both faithful and fruitless; God fulfilled their personal dreams for his big picture purposes....
We live in an age in which skepticism is applauded; the Lord invites us to trust him fully....
From Abraham we learn that we can trust God even when we don't know how things are going to turn out....
How do we walk with God on a daily basis? Lessons from Adam, Enoch, and Jesus help us enjoy the Lord in the mundane details of life....
The life of faith is not just floating downstream, it is a swim of destiny against a cultural flow perpetually pushing against us. But it's worth it....
Abraham's life was rooted in God's promise even when we lived as man without roots; by inhabiting God's promises, our lives become marked with the substance of eternity....
Faith and faithfulness in following Jesus produces more than victorious outcomes, it also sustains us victoriously through moments of darkness and challenging circumstances....
By keeping our eyes on Jesus, we can endure the difficulties of life and thrive in faith....
God invites us to extend faith to experience his presence and walk in his purposes in 2019....
God in Christ gave a gift that not only answered the need of those alive when he was born, but a gift that had been promised many centuries before, a gift we need today more than ever before....
Mathew's introduction to the Christmas story makes one big point: it all adds up to Christ....
Matthew intentionally places women in the genealogy of Jesus to highlight the fact that everyone is invited to God's BIG BIG Party....
God has always been with his people; in Christ, God is with us in a unique, personal way....
The Lord uses the proactive participation of his people to build his purposes on planet earth....
Our Lord promises to restore our souls with green pastures and still waters: He also refreshes us with his people....
Few forces are as powerful for the human soul as encouragement. We need encouragement because we are highly susceptible to discouragement. How can we win the battle over discouragement?...
What does it mean to be a friend of God? Thankfully, Jesus doesn't leave us in the dark; he explains in clear detail all that's involved in friendship with him....
Do you ever feel like you're caught up in circumstances way too big for you? That's when we need to remember that God has wrapped our lives with purpose and destiny....
How does our thought life determine our destiny? How do we live faithfully as God's people in a society whose reality excludes his relevance? Daniel's example in Babylon teaches us how to think correctly and live faithfully in a society increasingly out of step with God's Word....
When we walk through fiery tests and trials, we're not alone - the Lord is right there with us....
As we look at the world without and the world within, we often have the feeling that things are not as they should be. The good news is that God promises to fix it all, abolish evil, and establish righteousness....
God builds us together into a championship team to fulfil his purpose on the earth today....
God wants you to prosper. But what does that look like? What does it take? The Lord invites us to a life of flourishing, planted in his house with his people...
God excels in accomplishing big things from small beginnings. What began with a tiny outreach in L'viv is now bearing fruit all over Europe....
God's promise to Joel that he would pour out his Spirit was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost in powerful way....
What would it look like to be filled with an abundance of peace? Jesus invites us to live anxiety-free lives while pursuing the kingdom of God....
We all have something, and if we use what we've got, we feel fulfilled, but more importantly, the kingdom of God advances....
It's one thing to guarantee a victory in football. It's another thing to guarantee a resurrection. ...
Kings 17 and 18 tells the story of Elijah's confrontation with Ahab. When Elijah announced, 'it's not going to rain until I say so, he wasn't simply making weather predictions; he was asserting God's authority, declaring that God is really God, and reminding the Israelites that wannabe-false-pretender-not really god they were worshipping wasn't. Elijah's victory, however, left him open to a threat....
When the Queen of Sheba visited Solomon and saw his house, she thought, 'Solomon's great!' When people encounter us, we want them to think, 'God's great!'...
The gratitude of Thanksgiving quickly turns to the anticipation of Christmas; as we approach the celebration of the Incarnation, deep appreciation for God’s incredible mercy fills our hearts. I have been reflecting on the introduction to the Christmas story in Matthew, with Acts, and 2nd Samuel informing this text....
In one of her biggest hit songs, Bette Midler sings that God is watching us from a distance. It's a beautiful song, except that it's not true. God's not watching from a distance; he is personally engaged in the details of our lives....
By unveiling the glory of Jesus, the Father got the attention of the disciples so they would listen to him....
God seats us in Christ in the heavenly places, but we often forget who we are and spend our time pecking around with an earth-based perspective....
Biblical hope is the joyful, confident anticipation and expectation of something that is certain; specifically, the joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation. In other words, God wants us to live with confident certainty that He is going to keep his promise to us. ...
Keep Reading The picture of an anchor points to something that gives stability in times of shaking or trouble. To anchor the soul means that our souls – our heart, our minds, our emotions – have a source of stability. And that source of stability is the hope we have. And this is where we get into the content of that hope: it is a hope that enters into the inner place behind the cur...
Keep Reading The ability to keep your eye on the prize and live in JOY through the midst of trials is an indicator of the purity and the quality of your faith. ...
Keep Reading Our salvation is not "manufactured by man" but by God. And the same thing is true of the hope we’re talking about. I’m not encouraging you to start thinking optimistic thoughts; I’m inviting you to step into something GOD has created....
Keep Reading Another way living hope is described is as a guaranteed future. He points to two dimensions of the guarantee – He keeps an inheritance safe for us, and He protects us so that we can receive the inheritance He has for us....
Keep Reading 2020 was a hard year. Will 2021 be better? The prophets teach us how to think about the new year. ...
Keep Reading Feeling beset by enemies inside and out, David reminds us in Psalm 144 that God is the God of all provision, the God of more than enough, the God who provides everything we need to not only survive - but thrive - and to enjoy his blessing....
Keep Reading We live in an unprecedented time of change; in Joshua 1 we learn principles for moving forward in God's purpose even when the future is uncertain....
Keep Reading Mary teaches us by example, and Jesus by his words, of the priority of listening to God....
Keep Reading It is not a political statement to affirm that there is no room for racism; this is a non-negotiable tenet of God's kingdom....
Keep Reading The gospel is more than justification, but it is never less than God's declaration of 'not guilty' to sinners who repent and believe....
Keep Reading We continue to equip people from across Europe with theological foundations and practical ministry skills to be effective leaders for God's harvest in Europe....
Keep Reading To live a life of significance and pleasing to God, Grace is the best coach you will ever have....
Keep Reading God's grace not only takes us to the mountain peaks but sustains through times of darkness and difficulty....
Keep Reading As Christ's body, we share a vital life-link with Jesus, our head. It is through the gospel and by his Spirit that we come to share in his life....
Keep Reading As we launch into a new year and a new decade, the Lord offers vision correction to help us see from his perspective....
Keep Reading God's grace is more than amazing, more than beautiful, and more than sufficient to accomplish all the good God intends to bring into our lives. It's much, much more than you realised....
Keep Reading This beautiful and familiar hymn by Charles Wesley, amended by George Whitefield, is packed with solid truth to enrich our understanding of Christmas....
Keep Reading Jesus uses the metaphor of light explain the impact in our lives of hearing God's word well...
Keep Reading Jesus doesn't leave us alone, and he doesn't leave us where we are. He has purpose, destiny, and intention for our lives, but to get there, we have to go through storms....
Keep Reading God invites us to breakthrough the barriers that prevent us from experiencing all the blessing he has for us....
Keep Reading An up and down emotional life can be unhealthy, but there is a kind of up and down rhythm to following Jesus important for living life well....
Keep Reading God's promises are worth waiting for, but waiting can be hard work. Keeping our eye on the prize makes it easier....
Keep Reading If we can recognise the identity of the baby born in Bethlehem, we can be rightly aligned to God by enthroning Jesus as our Lord and King....
Keep Reading Like God's people giving thanks for deliverance from Egypt and turning to enter the promised land, we celebrate what God has done but extend our faith for the future God has for us....
Keep Reading Jesus inducts his followers into apprenticeship by teaching them to live with eternal perspective....
Keep Reading Jesus invites us to invite the ways of the kingdom as we represent God to the world....
Keep Reading Jesus invites us to a beautiful life by understanding the power of reciprocity: what we throw at others comes back to hit us on the head....
Keep Reading Jesus teaches us how to build strong lives that, like well-built structures, don't collapse when storms rage against them....
Keep Reading We all like being praised for our accomplishments; Jesus offers us a unique kind of commendation....
Keep Reading It is impossible to have a neutral attitude towards Jesus: either we remain the managing director of our own life, or we recognise him for who he is, and submit to him - the King of kings and the Lord of lords....
Keep Reading In giving us a mission to go to the ends of the earth with the gospel, Jesus hasn't left us alone: the Holy Spirit empowers us to complete the Father's mission....
Keep Reading In a world marked by pain and suffering, God has given us the greatest gift; in Christ, God answers our most fundamental issue....
Keep Reading God is a father who loves us enough to search until he finds us. And when he finds us, he throws a really big party....
Keep Reading It may come as a surprise, but Jesus made a point of going to parties. We may think of Jesus as an emaciated desert wanderer who spoke in chapter and verse, but in truth, he was the hot ticket item in the Galilee social scene. This meant he got party invitations, but when he showed up, it was a party with a difference....
Keep Reading To hit the target, we need to know the target. If we listen to Jesus, he's crystal clear on what that target is....
Keep Reading When Jesus finally speaks in Luke's gospel, his first words teach us about his identity....
Keep Reading We can run, but we can't hide; we will all have an encounter with God, and he invites us to get ready....
Keep Reading Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem drew praise from his disciples and reminds us that He is worthy of all the praise we can give him...
Keep Reading By building our lives on the promises of God we are positioned for the future - whatever it brings....
Keep Reading The manger of Jesus' birth illustrates the extremes God went to for our salvation: He identified with our poverty that we might share his glory....
Keep Reading Word's spoken by John's father at his dedication give us insight into an amazing destiny - both his and ours...
Keep Reading Jesus teaches us that 'all things are possible for him who believes'; the circumstances surrounding his birth illustrate this...
Keep Reading Zechariah and Elizabeth were both faithful and fruitless; God fulfilled their personal dreams for his big picture purposes....
Keep Reading We live in an age in which skepticism is applauded; the Lord invites us to trust him fully....
Keep Reading From Abraham we learn that we can trust God even when we don't know how things are going to turn out....
Keep Reading How do we walk with God on a daily basis? Lessons from Adam, Enoch, and Jesus help us enjoy the Lord in the mundane details of life....
Keep Reading The life of faith is not just floating downstream, it is a swim of destiny against a cultural flow perpetually pushing against us. But it's worth it....
Keep Reading Abraham's life was rooted in God's promise even when we lived as man without roots; by inhabiting God's promises, our lives become marked with the substance of eternity....
Keep Reading Faith and faithfulness in following Jesus produces more than victorious outcomes, it also sustains us victoriously through moments of darkness and challenging circumstances....
Keep Reading
In Revelation 21:1-4, we read about God's ultimate vision for the universe: there will be new heaven, a new earth, and most beautifully, death will be abolished. That is, Christ will destroy all the destruction unleashed by Adam and Eve. It is the plan, the mission of Jesus to accomplish a full restoration of reality to God's original intention. A vision is a statement of...
Keep Reading By keeping our eyes on Jesus, we can endure the difficulties of life and thrive in faith....
Keep Reading God invites us to extend faith to experience his presence and walk in his purposes in 2019....
Keep Reading God in Christ gave a gift that not only answered the need of those alive when he was born, but a gift that had been promised many centuries before, a gift we need today more than ever before....
Keep Reading Mathew's introduction to the Christmas story makes one big point: it all adds up to Christ....
Keep Reading Matthew intentionally places women in the genealogy of Jesus to highlight the fact that everyone is invited to God's BIG BIG Party....
Keep Reading God has always been with his people; in Christ, God is with us in a unique, personal way....
Keep Reading The Lord uses the proactive participation of his people to build his purposes on planet earth....
Keep Reading Our Lord promises to restore our souls with green pastures and still waters: He also refreshes us with his people....
Keep Reading Few forces are as powerful for the human soul as encouragement. We need encouragement because we are highly susceptible to discouragement. How can we win the battle over discouragement?...
Keep Reading What does it mean to be a friend of God? Thankfully, Jesus doesn't leave us in the dark; he explains in clear detail all that's involved in friendship with him....
Keep Reading Do you ever feel like you're caught up in circumstances way too big for you? That's when we need to remember that God has wrapped our lives with purpose and destiny....
Keep Reading How does our thought life determine our destiny? How do we live faithfully as God's people in a society whose reality excludes his relevance? Daniel's example in Babylon teaches us how to think correctly and live faithfully in a society increasingly out of step with God's Word....
Keep Reading When we walk through fiery tests and trials, we're not alone - the Lord is right there with us....
Keep Reading As we look at the world without and the world within, we often have the feeling that things are not as they should be. The good news is that God promises to fix it all, abolish evil, and establish righteousness....
Keep Reading God builds us together into a championship team to fulfil his purpose on the earth today....
Keep Reading God wants you to prosper. But what does that look like? What does it take? The Lord invites us to a life of flourishing, planted in his house with his people...
Keep Reading God excels in accomplishing big things from small beginnings. What began with a tiny outreach in L'viv is now bearing fruit all over Europe....
Keep Reading God's promise to Joel that he would pour out his Spirit was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost in powerful way....
Keep Reading What would it look like to be filled with an abundance of peace? Jesus invites us to live anxiety-free lives while pursuing the kingdom of God....
Keep Reading We all have something, and if we use what we've got, we feel fulfilled, but more importantly, the kingdom of God advances....
Keep Reading
CBU just had an amazing 10 days of Bible study and spiritual refreshment in Israel. If we are wiling to leave the tourist trail, we discover that Israel is not a monolithic bloc of orthodox Jews but a diverse nation in need of spiritual awakening....
Keep Reading It's one thing to guarantee a victory in football. It's another thing to guarantee a resurrection. ...
Keep Reading Kings 17 and 18 tells the story of Elijah's confrontation with Ahab. When Elijah announced, 'it's not going to rain until I say so, he wasn't simply making weather predictions; he was asserting God's authority, declaring that God is really God, and reminding the Israelites that wannabe-false-pretender-not really god they were worshipping wasn't. Elijah's victory, however,...
Keep Reading When the Queen of Sheba visited Solomon and saw his house, she thought, 'Solomon's great!' When people encounter us, we want them to think, 'God's great!'...
Keep Reading The gratitude of Thanksgiving quickly turns to the anticipation of Christmas; as we approach the celebration of the Incarnation, deep appreciation for God’s incredible mercy fills our hearts. I have been reflecting on the introduction to the Christmas story in Matthew, with Acts, and 2nd Samuel informing this text....
Keep Reading
Mathew's introduction to the Christmas story makes one big point: it all adds up to Christ....
Keep Reading In one of her biggest hit songs, Bette Midler sings that God is watching us from a distance. It's a beautiful song, except that it's not true. God's not watching from a distance; he is personally engaged in the details of our lives....
Keep Reading
As the nights grow from cool to cold we bask in the glory of our great God. I'm so excited about what the Lord is doing with and through CBU, and I am so encouraged by our partnership together. We just had an amazing time together at our November Gathering in Ridgecrest; when we get together, we generate a world-changing faith. For those of you missed our November Gatherin...
Keep Reading
Faithfully following Jesus means faithfully passing on to others what he has entrusted to us....
Keep Reading By unveiling the glory of Jesus, the Father got the attention of the disciples so they would listen to him....
Keep Reading God seats us in Christ in the heavenly places, but we often forget who we are and spend our time pecking around with an earth-based perspective....
Keep ReadingSomeone exploring the Christian faith recently asked me: 'What does it mean to follow Jesus - practically - on a day to day basis?' That's a great question - and here's my answer....
Keep ReadingJesus is continually inviting us to partner with Him in the Father's harvest, even when it doesn't seem like it is the opportune time....
Keep ReadingHave you ever faced a moment of genuine intimidation? Have you ever been gripped with fear to the degree that you were paralysed - unable to move? This is what Joshua felt as he stood at the threshold of his moment of destiny....
Keep ReadingWeddings happen all over the world, every day. But it's not every day that my own daughter gets married. We just returned from Nagoya, Japan, where my oldest daughter Julia married Kazuyoshi Matsumoto. Here's the story behind the story, followed by some reflections from a fatherly perspective. ...
Keep ReadingIt’s that time of year when we get to hit the pause button from everything else going on ...
Keep ReadingA common response to the question, 'How's it going?' is 'Busy!'. And while it's true that we can be too busy, I often respond by saying, 'Better busy than bored!'. And while that's also true, there is something that's even better than being busy - and that is being blessed. In reflecting on what we've been up to, we've been busy ... but we're blessed!...
Keep ReadingThe active presence of the Holy Spirit is not something God intended to be limited to the early church; this is also our inheritance in Christ....
Keep ReadingRecently an episode in Scotland reminded us about the need to be clear: there is only one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ...
Keep ReadingWho pastors the pastors? I was recently meeting with our pastors in Ukraine, encouraging them in their rewarding but demanding task of gospel ministry in Ukraine....
Keep ReadingAs great as the past was, God is calling us forward to the future. But the future God has for us is rooted in what he has already done as described in the Bible....
Keep ReadingImagine a generous husband who gets a big bonus and decides to buy his wife a diamond ring for Christmas. It comes in small package, and when she opens it, she admires it, thanks him, but then sets it to the side. In the midst of all the Christmas-day chaos, the small but valuable diamond ring gets knocked off the end table, covered in Christmas paper, and lost. ...
Keep ReadingAs we prepare to enter the New Year, our focus on being faithful with the gospel is more important than ever. I was recently chatting with my dad about the impact CBU has had over the decades since our first conference in 1974. Thousands have been touched, but it has been for a purpose. ...
Keep ReadingOur nation is still processing the results of the recent election. As Christians, it is important to allow the Bible to frame not only how we think about this election, but how we position ourselves in a nation that desperately needs healing. For believers, the mission of God has to be the over-riding concern that governs our lives. ...
Keep Reading
We live in turbulent times of significant transition. How do we navigate these moments?...
Keep Reading
Sometimes a small seed planted grows into something big - and grows into unexpected places....
Keep ReadingEvery generation has the 'cross the Jordan' to enter the place, purpose, and provision God has for it....
Keep ReadingRestoration is a hard thing to believe. Can the future be better than the past? That's what God's people in Jerusalem were wondering. ...
Keep ReadingHow do we navigate the storms that hit us as we follow Jesus? Several stories in the Bible point us in the right direction....
Keep ReadingWhat does maturity look like? How do we grow up in Christ? There are a few power verses that give us an answer. ...
Keep ReadingGod gives us the power of the Holy Spirit to make us effective witnesses. The compelling story of Ivan Vornaev show's God's power in action. ...
Keep ReadingThe Book of Acts describes an Apostolic Paradigm for Gospel Progress. We need the Power of the Holy Spirit - And More....
Keep ReadingA Power Promise: Enjoy the reward of Seeking God in 2012...
Keep ReadingAs we start a new year, we start with the faith that God has great things in store for us....
Keep Reading
