It is the Lord who goes before you. - Deuteronomy 31:8 “You go first.” This is a statement my wife and I have heard frequently over the years from one of our daughters to our other daughter. From jumping into a lake to trying new food, our youngest has often served as a guinea pig … Continue reading “You Go First” – Giving Others the Gift of Going Second
In my part of the world (rural Minnesota), we are now over a month into this COVID-19 crisis that has gripped much of the world for even longer. If you haven’t been paying attention over the past month, then you’ve likely missed some important information. Because one thing a crisis will reveal to us is … Continue reading Faith at Work in a Crisis
During the eight years we lived in Pierre, SD, one of the things that captivated us about the area was the beauty of the Missouri River. Whenever we drove back to Pierre from visiting family in Minnesota, we were excited when the long, flat, five-hour drive was finally interrupted by beautiful rolling hills and the … Continue reading From Drought to Flood
Yesterday I finished reading The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson. This insightful book provides an intimate look at British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, his family, and his cabinet during the German bombings, or “Blitz”, of England prior to the United States’ entry into World War II. One of Churchcill’s most remembered traits, of … Continue reading The Right Words for the Right Moment
That the God of all creation is wrathful doesn’t make it on to many bumper stickers, coffee mugs, or inspirational social media posts. You don’t find Romans 12:19, John 3:36, or Nahum 1:2 on decorative signs in boutique stores or hanging on a Christian family’s kitchen wall. Some Christians are offended by the idea of … Continue reading Don’t Be Offended – God’s Wrath on Good Friday
We often say to people making big decisions at big moments in life that they’re taking a “step of faith.” Whether it’s taking a new job, starting a new ministry, or moving to a new city, we easily recognize and rightly celebrate big steps of faith like these. But we don’t usually use that same … Continue reading Stepping into Small Moments
A video version of this post is available here. The quote of the month has to be, “You never know what you have until it’s gone. Toilet paper for instance.” I’ve seen this pop up multiple times across social media the past few weeks. The empty shelves in the store and the concerns about hoarding … Continue reading No Need to Ration
Watch a video version of this post here. I have this color-coding system I use when I read my Bible. I highlight commands from God in green. I highlight promises from God in blue. And anything else that grabs my attention, I highlight in yellow. I was reading John 14 recently and noticed that there’s … Continue reading Prepared By The Promises
Every morning, my wife Marie and I wake up at about 5:45am, grab some coffee, and go sit in our usual spots on our couch for morning devotions. We first read a devotion together (right now we’re reading Gospel: The 90-Day Devotional by Pastor J.D. Greear) then we spend a few minutes praying together. After that, we … Continue reading When God Speaks to My Wife
A few months ago, we began using a new program at ATLAS (the ministry I work with) that helps us track donations, manage contacts, send emails, and many other things. One of the features included in the program is something called an Ahern Audit. This feature scans your outgoing correspondence and tells you two things. … Continue reading Take the “You Test”
