There is something about a storm that brings you closer to God. Nobody in thier right mind asks for storms, but God in His goodness allows us to passage through them because He knows that it is in the storms where we grow. Angela and I have been enduring some storms lately. We seem surrounded by the needs and hardship of those we serve. And yet God has been so faithful to show Himself strong on our behalf.  Last night we had prayer meeting at Gages Lake. I was looking forward to Wednesday prayer all week, because it is in…

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 One of my favorite authors and pastors is Joshua Harris. When people say, "Who is Josh Harris?" I say that he’s the author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye, but that’s really not fair, because he wrote that book many years ago. The title of that book induces panic in people, but in its pages is great truth for young men and women in dating relationships. I recommend it for all young people, high-school and college. I also recommend Boy Meets Girl. Both those books profoundly affected my view of relationships as a young person.  But I’m not talking about those…

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 For the first time in almost 7 years, I have been living at home by myself. My wife and two children have spent the last three weeks in Texas. We lost a good friend, Ben Kottwitz and Angela is there trying to help her best friend, Ashli, get thru the initial grief. Even though we know that God is in control, that Ben is in Heaven, it is still a very tough situation that needs the prayers of everyone. We had to make the travel plans quickly so Angela could get down there. Both of us felt it would be…

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This year, I’m celebrating the 4th in a most unusual way. My wife and two kids, Grace, and Dan Jr, are out of town. I have quickly realized what a great woman she is and how much I depend upon her. I realize how lonely it is around here without her. She has enriched my life in so many countless ways. I would not be who I am without her. And I miss the noise and conflicts and love of my kids.  The 4th of July is a special holiday, because it forces us Americans to sit back and embrace…

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Anytime a politician falls, it is a terrible and sad disgrace, not a time for gloating or "I-told-you-so’s." The last two weeks have seen two promising conservative politicans, professing believers, who have admitted to extramarital affairs. As a guy who has been in and around politics, I have a few thoughts:  We evangelicals belief in the inherent sinfulness of man. Anyone can fall. Nobody is immune to moral failure. Nobody nowhere. That’s why preachers and Christian leaders especially must set up boundaries and guidelines. From all accounts Mr. Sanford was a model husband and father. And yet the seemy culture…

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 Except for holidays, we’ve been going thru the Gospel of John on Sunday mornings. Its an incredibly wonderful study of Jesus’ life and mission. John has some of the most profound theology in all the Scriptures. It answers the question: "Who is Jesus?"  Last week we wrapped up chapter 6 and I was all ready to go with the first of a few messages in Chapter 7. But as this week progressed, I felt that God wanted me to go in a different direction. I must say that I rarely do this. I’ve never liked it when preachers say, "God…

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About a year ago, I went to an Awana training meeting to get more aquainted with the Awana leaders in our area. I also needed to brush up on basic Awana stuff, since it had been several years since I led an awana group. At the meeting the leader discussed a new ministry called, "High Power Soccer." It took me back and I went home thinking that we could do this at Gages Lake and reach kids in our area with the love of Christ. I toyed with the idea for a couple of weeks. Then, one Sunday, we had…

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 On the way down to South Carolina, we stopped in Knoxville, TN. There we found a fantastic Christian bookstore. As I was browsing the shelves, I saw the book, Same Kind of Different As Me, a book I’ve wanted to read for some time. Lynn Vincent, the collaborater, is a good friend of mine.  I’ve read this book throughout our vacation and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Its one of those books that has the capacity preconceived notions you might have about certain people or groups. This book definitely challenged my view of homeless people.  The book is unique in that…

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It was Mother’s Day last year that God brought me to Gages Lake Bible Church. I preached my candidating message and was blessed to have my mother and my mother-in-law (all the way from Texas–she refuses to miss a single big moment of our lives). I shared a message from the life of Hannah, whose struggle with infertility and faith in God is one of the most poignant stories in all the Bible. Its been a year and I’m profoundly grateful on many fronts.  First of all, I’ve been blessed with an incredible mother. Now that I’m a father, I’m…

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 There are a few stories swirling around in the culture, especially the Christian culture that raise a whole host of issues about who and how we as as evangelicals choose to represent our values. The stories about Sarah Palin’s family and the ever-shifting tempest over Miss California raise a whole host of issues. A few thoughts I’ve had:  Sometimes Christians are so intent on scoring political points that we lose sight of what we believe. When I first heard about Carrie Pragean, Miss California, who made a bold declaration for traditional marriage and lost the contest, I was very proud…

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Okay, if you hate watching sports like my wife does, then you don’t have to keep reading. But I had to talk about the incredible first-round NBA series between the defending champion Boston Celtics and my hometown Chicago Bulls.  Now I have to say that the last time I enjoyed an NBA game this much, Jordan was still in the league, Clinton was president, wierd-colored ties were still considered cool and my waist size was around 33. You know that was a long time ago. But I have to tell you that this Chicago Bulls teams is incredibly exciting to…

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We Christians like to make a big deal about how our culture, America is really going to seed. And it doesn’t take much effort to see the effects of sin upon our society. Read the newspaper, listen to the radio, check your email or go online and visit the Drudge Report or other online sources. Also, in your daily life you run into a lack of virtue. However, two recent news events reinforce the biblical idea that "where sin abounds, grace does much more abound." (Romans 5:20-21). First, Sully Sullenberger. Unless you’re under a rock, you know that this guy…

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I just finished my Good Friday sermon and boy am I juiced for Friday. A few nuggets to chew on: What put Jesus on the cross? Was it the religous authorities? Was it the Romans? Was it our sin? Or was it something else? Find out on Friday. Some quotes and verses to meditate on: Horatio Spafford wrote: My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul   Paul wrote:  “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which…

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I have a really cool story about my book, Teen People of the Bible. Several months ago, a Pakastani church-planter was in Rochester, New York, preaching at a church and raising funds for his mission. He is a native Pakistani pastor who conducts revival meetings and plants churches across Pakistan. While he was in Rochester, New York, he stayed in the home of a family. The man, whom I’ve yet to meet, had somehow got his hands on a copy of my book, Teen People of the Bible. He showed it to this Pakistani missionary and said, "You’ve got to…

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Today is election day in Lake County, Illinois. And Gages Lake Bible Church is privileged to offer our facility to the county as a polling place. I’m always encouraged every election day by the dozen or so dedicated men and women who serve as election judges. These are folks who took time off from work or school and sit for over 12 hours, making sure we have a fair election. We Americans tend to take this for granted, as if every person on the earth has the opportunity to voice their opinion on who leads them, but it is a…

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    That was my reaction to the news, delivered in an email from a friend while I was driving to Indiana yesterday (I don’t recommend the email/driving combo, nor does my wife, the nervous passenger). The email said, "Bears Got Cutler." Here’s the deal. I’m a huge Bears fan. I’ve always loved their teams. They’ve always prided themselves on defense and an okay, usually bad, offense. I’ve never liked that. Why can’t we have a really good quarterback like other teams? It always seemed the Bears were destined for mediocrity at that position. I mean we’re talking about Sid…

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One of the things I enjoy most is listening to Bible preaching on my iPod. Anyone who knows me for more than 5 minutes will get a sales pitch on a) why they should own an iPod and b) why they should be into podcasting. There is such a wealth of rich Bible preaching available today that there is no excuse why anyone to not understand and learn and know the Word of God. But enough of that. This morning, both on the way to playing basketball with the guys at Faith Church and on the way into the office,…

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Ahh, the best laid plans of men. We had a terrific Sunday planned yesterday, with a focus on one of our missionaries, Linda Johnson in Brazil, and special number by our kids and other really important things. But God had other plans. The huge snow day left most people stranded at home. But for those who came, we had a wonderful time, about 20 of us hardy folks showed up. Even one lady whose car had gotten stuck in a ditch. You can look at the snow in two ways. You can be like me and see it as a…

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    In my personal devotional time I’ve just begun a study by Henry Blackaby called, Called and Accountable. This week I’m studying thru the book of Esther. Today I was in chapter 3 where Haaman, angered by the refusal of Mordecai to bow down to him, hatches his secret plot to exterminate the Jewish people. Foolish thing to do, considering that God famously said that those who bless Israel will be blessed and those that curse Israel will be cursed. Also foolish considering God promised that Israel would always remain a people and a nation. But you knew that…

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    Here are things they generally don’t share with you as you contemplate having children. They are things you can only discover after your children are alive and kicking: You may have a child who has such a creative mind that she gets up frightened at 4am because of the spiders she thinks are crawling all over her. Grace literally screamed last night and was pounding her bed at the "spiders." Love the creativity, but don’t always love the time in which she displays that creativity! You may have a child, who in the middle of your potluck at…

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