When grace happens, we receive not a nice compliment from God but a new heart. Give your heart to Christ, and he returns the favor.

I don't think I have ever created an entire fiction piece or followed a historical piece and made that into a sermon.

I remember enjoying writing those, theres two clues of a gift: you enjoy doing it and people enjoy you doing it.

Jesus came to save us, not just from politics, enemies, challenges, or difficulties.

God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.

If you're feeling pain, express that to the Lord. If you're feeling worried, express those worries. One passage that gives me comfort is in Psalms, Chapter 11, verse 3, it reads, "When all that is good falls apart, what can good people do?" That's really the question of the day.

I think the hardest one had to do with suffering. It had to do with all of our church members and friends passing through difficult times. Sometimes it's the global climate: tsunamis, earthquakes, radiation. I think these kinds of questions are absolutely the most difficult, yet we need to be ready to respond to them because we have to be able as pastors to walk people through these valleys, these tough times in their lives.