The words that come out of our mouth say a lot about us. Solomon said, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” James said that the tongue is, “A fire, a world of iniquity.” He also said that although the tongue is a small member, it is very hard to control. Let us consider some ways our speech can be a blessing.

“What God has done is miraculous.” This was the recurring statement made by Mike Edwards when interviewed about Heritage Baptist Church in Woodbridge, Virginia. Dr. Edwards has been the pastor for thirty-four years.

As recently as a few weeks ago, I stood with Dr. Daniel Kim at the DMZ by North Korea. It’s a heartbreaking feeling to stand just a few hundred yards away from people locked in a country of repression and, for Christians, a place of severe persecution—and be able to do nothing to help them.

Technology has changed the way we parent. It has become a force for good and evil. On one hand, we now have access to the largest library in the world. On the other, we have unprecedented access to unlimited evil.

If there is anything you learn over years in ministry, it is that victory doesn’t “just happen.” But you don’t have to learn that by experience. You can see it in the example of David’s preparation and charge to Solomon for the temple. From David’s earliest desires to see the temple built to Solomon’s completion of it, there was a process that included steps of victory you and I can follow today.

Would you consider yourself a consecrated Christian? One who is wholly given to God, seeking to honor Him in body and spirit in every way possible? Or, is there an area of your life that still belongs to yourself; some area that you “sort of” honor God in, but do not want to go “too far” in or “miss out” because of?

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.