May 17th, 2022

It had been many years since I jumped off the boat into the water and donned water skis. Growing up on Florida’s west coast, I spent lots of time on boats. I often sailed with my dad and went on motorboats with my friends. I enjoyed lots of inner tubing, being pulled behind boats,  but water skiing wasn’t my thing. You see, I was around nine years old when I…

Some of the self-imposed limitations we Christians sometimes place upon our witnessing efforts, or lack thereof, are expressed in these ways: “I’m not gifted enough. I’m not smart enough. I’m not experienced enough. I’m not _______.” This perceived human lacking actually flies in the face of our calling to walk by faith with the Lord who tells us in His word, “I can do all things (including the work of evangelism)…

Evangelism is a process, not an event. Paradoxically, the process is made up of separate events which God uses in an individual’s journey to faith, and how God brings people to Himself is infinite in variety. In his book The Heart of Evangelism, Jerram Barrs notes: “God has created each individual in His likeness, and He is a God who delights in diversity; so there is an infinite number of…

The first time people began sharing the gospel with me, I was a college student. My initial responses were outright rejection of that message. Growing up in a liberal Jewish family, I was  taught Jesus was the god of the Gentiles and had no relevance to us. However, people kept coming, and the Holy Spirit kept working on my heart. Four years passed between the time people began witnessing to me…

Let’s play a brief word association game, shall we? I’ll say, or in this case, write a word. Then I want you to note the first thing that comes into your mind. Ready? Public speaking - you think? I don’t know what first popped into your head. But for many people, public speaking evokes thoughts like panic or fear. In fact, according to most studies, public speaking is near the…

Having earned a master’s degree in physical education from East Tennessee State University in the mid 1990s, I learned much about physical fitness. Some of the foundational principles I learned, and actually still remember from that academic exercise, are the three pillars of physical wellness: diet, exercise, and rest. A healthy diet combined with adequate exercise and proper rest bring about optimum physical well-being. The last few years I have…