My book, You Are Never Alone, is a child of the quarantine. I completed it during the days of the coronavirus. Covid-19 was unknown to most, but that’s all changed. This crisis exacerbated an already rampant epidemic of isolation and depression. One study found that loneliness is as dangerous to one’s health as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day. It can lead to dementia or Alzheimer’s, heart disease, a weakened immune system, and a shorter life span. Administrators of one of the largest hospitals in America cite loneliness as a major reason for overcrowded emergency rooms. Patients want to know that someone cares. Don’t we … Listen Now

John recorded a montage of miracles that proclaimed, “God’s got this.” Think it’s up to you and you ain’t much? Hogwash! You’re stronger than you think because God is nearer than you know. Jesus touched wounds. He spoke words of hope. Blessings were bestowed. There was a message in his miracles: “I am here, and I care.” Had Jesus wanted just to make a case for his divinity, he could have materialized a flock of birds out of thin air or caused trees to uproot and float away. He could have turned creeks into waterfalls or rocks into bumblebees. Such deeds … Listen Now

John, likely knowing his days are coming to an end, takes on one final task. Mark’s gospel is in circulation, Matthew and Luke have compiled their accounts of the life of Christ, and John wants to do the same. Yet his gospel will be different. He seeks to tell stories they didn’t and to add details to stories they told. He selects a cross section of signs. John’s chosen miracles run the gamut from a wedding oversight to a violent execution, from abandoned hopes to buried friends. We watch a paralytic stand up and a blind man look up. And … Listen Now

Belief happens when we place our confidence in God. It is a decision to lean entirely upon the strength of a living and loving Savior. And to the extent that we do, we will have “life in His name.” This is the purpose of the miracles. John the Apostle recounted signs in this promise: that you and I are never, ever alone. Was this not one of the final promises of Christ? Before he ascended to heaven, he assured his friends, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20 ESV). Those words must have meant everything … Listen Now

Are you convinced that no one cares, that no one can help you, hear you, or heed your call? If you know the feeling, you aren’t alone. I don’t mean you aren’t alone in knowing the feeling. I mean you aren’t alone, my friend. That raw, dark sense of isolation and powerlessness? It’s not here to stay. If you think it’s up to you and you ain’t much, John the apostle has some stories for you to ponder. He interwove a tapestry of miracles that were “written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and … Listen Now

Satan and the Son of God stood on the southeastern wall of the temple, more than a hundred feet above the Kidron Valley, and Satan told Jesus to jump into the arms of God. Jesus refused, not because God wouldn’t catch him. He refused because he didn’t have anything to prove to anyone, much less the Devil. Neither do you. In church, of all places, Satan will do with you what he did with Jesus. He will urge you to do tricks…to impress others with your service, make a show of your faith, or call attention to your good deeds. Satan loves to turn … Listen Now

Obedience leads to blessing.  Disobedience leads to trouble!  Remember Jesus’ parable about the two builders who each built a house?  One built on cheap, easy-to-access-sand.  The other built on costly, difficult-to-reach rock.  The second construction project demanded more time and expense, but when the spring rains turned the creek into a gulley washer…guess which builder enjoyed a blessing and which experienced trouble? According to Jesus, the wise builder is “whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them” (Matthew 7:24).  The difference between the two was not knowledge and ignorance but obedience and disobedience.  Security comes as we put God’s … Listen Now

When forced to stand at the crossroads of belief and unbelief, God’s people choose belief! God’s people risk believing!  Nowhere is this better exemplified than in Joshua’s story. You could argue that the central message of the book of Joshua is this headline:  “God keeps his promises.  Trust him.” Three times Joshua declares God did what he said he would do!  1) “The LORD gave all He had sworn to give.”  2) “The LORD gave rest according to all He had sworn to their fathers.”  3) “Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken.  All came to pass” … Listen Now

You are so much more than a few days between the womb and the tomb. Paul the Apostle says, “It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.  Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone” (Ephesians 1:11-12 MSG). Above and around us God directs a grander saga, written by his hand, orchestrated by his will, and unveiled according to his calendar. Your life emerges from … Listen Now

Would you like Jesus to heal you?  Then, ask Him. The four Gospels detail approximately 36 miracles and reference even more.  He changed water into wine, calmed more than one storm, restored sight to more than one blind man. Yet Jesus never grandstanded his miraculous powers. He performed miracles for two reasons–  to prove his identity and to help his people. Can you imagine the testimonies if you were a part of the crowd he fed, one of the dead he raised, or one of the sick he healed? The church exploded like a fire on a West Texas prairie. Why? … Listen Now