Spiritual revival, or the renewal of our relationship with God, does not merely happen by chance, nor does it descend from heaven without our awareness. Both Scripture and history attest to the fact that certain conditions need to be met before we are spiritually resuscitated. We do not slip and “fall” into revival, but we prepare for it. Thankfully, revival never feels very systematic, but if we were to analyze it, there are certain factors that are absolutely necessary for revival. By that I mean that true, long-lasting revival cannot occur without these factors being present. I have identified several…
Yesterday, at about 2:30, a doctor told my wife, “Worst case scenario… you die.” They were worried about a blood clot in her leg. Needless to say, we were at the hospital for 8 hours, but the test results showed that nothing was wrong. She went home without needing any treatment at all. As some of you know, this scenario has happened before. In late August / September, two doctors were worried that I could be dying, but it turned out to be a relatively minor condition. Yet another time this year, God has changed our red flags to white.…
My wife and I are anticipating the birth of our first daughter, EGJ. (Her full name is top secret for now!) Her arrival could be anytime from now until May 11th, and I am thrilled to the point of tears. Our baby is just about to begin her journey, while I am continuing on mine. What a crazy, miraculous world we live in. Significant events, such as a birth or a death, force us to revisit the topic of life. Most days we slide on by, carrying on our regular activities, but once in a while we have a chance…