It started during a regularly scheduled mid-week chapel service at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky on February 8, 2023, and continued around the clock through Monday, February 20, 2023. On Saturday, February 19, the Asbury University revival entered the 11th day. It had gone viral and thousands of people across the country and overseas traveled to Kentucky to attend. Large numbers watched via live stream. On the 19^th Asbury President Dr. Kevin J. Brown announced that as the revival entered its third week, a schedule had been established for the upcoming week for ending the 24-hour worship at Hughes Auditorium. The last public worship service at the auditorium would be on February 20 at 2:00 p.m. From Monday to Wednesday evening ...

(originally published in March 2016)

Ever played “Whack-a-Mole?” You probably have if you have taken your children to Chuck E. Cheese. Whack-a-Mole is a very physical game in which the player gets a mallet and whacks the moles who pop up at random out of one of their seven holes (see photo). The game seemingly goes on ad nauseum until the timer runs out and no more moles pop up to whack. It is a fun but stressful game. Your adrenalin begins to flow because you have to be ready at all times to pound the daylights out of those moles and you never know from which hole they’ll appear.

There are people who live “Whack-a-Mole” lives. They live from crisis to crisis. Their lives are stressful. They never know when ...

It was stupid. I must have thought I was a 20-something. I was in the foyer of my house balancing myself on one foot trying to put on my shoe. That didn’t work so well. I must have lost my balance and the next thing I knew I was flat on my back on the floor looking up at the ceiling! The first thing I did while lying on the floor was to check to see if I’d broken any bones. Fortunately I hadn’t but I did have a huge swelling developing on my right elbow and my ribs and tailbone hurt like crazy. It has now been over a month since that fall. My ribs, which were cracked but not broken, are slowly healing. My tailbone hurts less and my elbow has shrunk back to almost normal size. I found out what most of you already know; it ...

Happiness is different than joy, isn’t it? Happiness primarily depends on our circumstances and our feelings. For example, we feel happy when we succeed at a task or get a pay raise or buy a new car or make a sale. The problem with happiness is that it is fleeting; it doesn’t last. Apart from faith in Jesus Christ happiness is the best the world can offer.

Joy, on the other hand, is one of the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit is in control of us we experience joy even in the most difficult of circumstances. Let me submit exhibit A: Paul and Silas fastened in stocks in the dungeon of a jail in Philippi (Acts 16). What are they doing in that miserable situation? Praying and singing hymns of praise to God at ...

I have heard Christians say that they want to witness silently with their lives. They want to live their testimony by being “salt and light” (Matthew 5: 14-16). There is a subtle message that we don’t need to witness with words if we “live it.” Certainly, we must witness with our lives, but we must also witness with words. I do not believe it is possible to be an effective witness without words. Therefore, we must speak up. Witnessing without using words is unrealistic. If we think otherwise, we are fooling ourselves. We must give a reason for the hope that is in us. (I Peter 3:15) We need to use words.

Primarily, we must give God the glory. Otherwise it is possible that people will notice our good works and ...

I can hear the Beatles song in my head, can't you? Well, if you're a little older perhaps you can. Since February is the month of love I thought I’d tackle the age-old question of what is love? Is it a feeling, a decision, a commitment, a “liver quiver.” What is it? All of us want to love and be loved. Love is built into us. We are made in God’s image and God is love (1 John 4:8).  Yet how will we know if it is love we’re experiencing? As I’ve researched the subject, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are three essential ingredients of love (see diagram). This is called the “Triangular Theory of Love” and was developed by Robert Sternberg. I think he’s on target ...

If I could pick one verse in the Bible to apply to my life it would be Ephesians 4:32. More than read it or memorize it, I want to live it to the point of where I become Ephesians 4:32. So what does this verse say? Here it is and then I’ll elaborate on the three B’s which should describe every believer:

“And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (NASB)

1. Be Kind. First of all, this verse is telling me how I should treat others. It is other-centered. The first thing I’m to be is kind to others. What does that mean? In the Greek it means to treat others with “goodness or graciousness.” Do I treat others kindly? Kindness is a ...

What does it mean to “go along to get along?” It means setting aside your feelings, opinions, or values in order to keep the peace. The thinking is “this is what it takes to get along with this person.” Is “go along to get along” a good strategy in a relationship such as marriage? No. It ultimately leads to the person “going along” becoming resentful because their true feelings, opinions, or values are not being expressed, heard, or accepted. Instead they are always trying to keep the peace by giving in to their partner. If you think this is limited to marriages, it is not. Going along to get along is often the policy of people in business, government, church, and the media. Many Christians ...

As we begin this brand-new year of 2023, I believe it is important to look back at things we have learned during the past 12 months. I call them “take-aways.” They are the things we have learned through another year of living, experiencing, and growing – or not. They are the things we have learned through our daily experiences (good and bad), in our spiritual journey and times in God’s Word, and things we have learned from others and from our own personal observation. This can result in wisdom, but there are no guarantees since some people do not learn from the past. Wisdom is the application of knowledge and includes insight and understanding. Much can be learned from the past—both our own personal past and ...

Let me share my thoughts on conflict with you. My belief is that “change is wrought in the crucible of conflict.” What do I mean by that? It is my belief that change in a person’s life seldom happens when everything is going well. Most of us live by the logic, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” so if things are going well why change? We change in response to pain: physical, emotional, relational, or spiritual. One of the primary sources of pain is conflict. Conflict causes us to experience physical symptoms such as the increased flow of adrenaline, an accelerated heart rate and rapid breathing, sweaty palms, a flush face, and wider pupils.

Conflict also causes us to experience emotional symptoms. We...