5 Ways to Pray Missionally

We restless North Americans struggle immensely to prevail in prayer. I struggle in prayer. I see impoverished, persecuted believers in other parts of the world praying with fervor, corporately and individually, and I marvel at my own ineptitude when it comes to conversation with God. Yet prayer is an inescapable concept. Desperation of any sort produces dependence … Continue reading 5 Ways to Pray Missionally

The Indwelling Holy Spirit and Authority in Spiritual Conflict

Two years in a row now, my friend Neil Olcott, who runs our local chapter of the C.S. Lewis Institute discipleship program, has made the unfortunate blunder of inviting me to lecture on the topic of the Holy Spirit and spiritual warfare. You’d think the poor chap would have learned his lesson after the first … Continue reading The Indwelling Holy Spirit and Authority in Spiritual Conflict

How Not to Make Friends and Influence People

Once, after hearing a very gracious, gentle, nuanced pastor preach a particularly bold sermon warning against false teachers, I commented to him, “It’s good to see a vertebrate in the pulpit.” To my surprise, he replied, not skipping a beat, “I call it having evantesticles.” (He also knew that puns are my love language.) This … Continue reading How Not to Make Friends and Influence People