I asked the Lord to come into my heart at the age of fifteen in the fall of 1975. My family had been attending church for about four months, and the Holy Spirit had been convicting me of my sin.

A marriage that endures through the decades is the result of God’s grace through two people who are committed to one another. Sometimes as I counsel couples, I’m reminded of how important it is when it comes to marriage to keep the basics in mind. If we forget the basic truths about biblical marriage, we easily make assumptions that, over time, undermine the marriage relationship.

An older woman was celebrating her golden wedding anniversary. Someone asked what her secret was to a long and happy marriage. She said, “On my wedding day, I decided to make a list of ten of my husband’s faults, which I would overlook for the sake . . .

Assumptions are powerful for two reasons: first, because we often don’t recognize our assumptions (by definition, we accept them as fact) and second, because they do, in fact, shape our actions. In almost thirty years of pastoring and counseling, I’ve discovered that many Christian parents hold false assumptions which they don’t recognize and which they base their parenting decisions upon.

Every week, I have the exciting opportunity to sit across the table from a young Christian and study God’s Word during our church’s discipleship time. At the end of each lesson, I usually ask the lady I’m studying with what stood out to her the most and if she has any questions we didn’t already answer.

Someone has said, “Pits have no easy exits.” Discouragement, depression, hopelessness, inadequacy, and fear are just a few of the pits where each of us can find ourselves. Although these pits “have no easy exits” they certainly can be exited!

Do you ever feel ineffective in prayer? True prayer is really a foundation of true ministry. Without regular, fervent prayer, we may produce much activity, but we won’t see lasting spiritual fruit.

Who doesn’t like a good deal? My girls are great shoppers, and they often find incredible deals. When they return from shopping, they cannot wait to tell me what they paid for an item. The story is then repeated to family members, friends, and acquaintances.

For years, a small group of believers burdened for an independent Baptist church in the Oakland Bay Area prayed for a miracle.

Over the past thirty years, there are many types of activities that have come and over time been discontinued on our annual church calendar. But our January Winter Revival is not one of them. In fact, this Sunday began our thirtieth consecutive year of these meetings. Each year, our guest speaker has been Dr. John Goetsch, and the Lord has used his preaching to convict, stir, and renew our hearts.