God Remembers You— Two2Grow, Monday, July 20 “I have made you, you are my servant; Israel, I will not forget you.” Isaiah 44:21b NIVWhen I was 8 years old, my father took me to SeaWorld in Florida. I thought it was the most amazing experience ever. For several years after that, if anyone asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up, my answer was always the same: a killer whale caretaker. Eventuall...  Read More

The Highest Calling— Two2Grow, Sunday, July 19 "God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." 1 Corinthians 1:9 NIVI remember, as a young man, listening to a renowned preacher who had traveled all over the world, preaching the gospel to hundreds of thousands of people. As I listened to him, I found myself wishing I could do great things for God too.Have ...  Read More

Heaven's Army— Two2Grow, Saturday July 18 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 Kings 6:17 NIVI vividly remember waking up in the middle of the night while we were serving in Africa. Something was happening neaby. Shattered glass. Shouting. Chaos...  Read More

Don't Be Caught Off Guard—Two2Grow, Friday, July 17 “Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!” Matthew 18:7 NKJVIf you are not offended right now, get ready—you will soon have an opportunity to be offended. I don't need a prophetic word to predict that!There are many of Jesus' words that I love and have highlighted in my Bible, bu...  Read More

Transforming Encounter—Two2Grow, Thursday, July 16 She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast. 1 Samuel 1:18 NIVToday's verse tells the story of Hannah praying at God's tabernacle. Hannah was burdened by the fact that she was childless—to the point that she could no longer eat.But Hannah knew where to go. She w...  Read More

Faith Spells R-I-S-K — Two2Grow, Wednesday, July 16 "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:8 NIVEarly in my walk with Jesus, I had to learn to let go of every desire to control or predict what He was going to do. I learned that faith spells R-I-S-K.By risk, I don't mea...  Read More

Is Anyone Following? — Two2Grow, Tuesday, July 14 “And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1 NLTIt is often said, “If you want to know whether you are a leader, look behind you. Is anyone following?”God has called each of us to raise up followers of Jesus. But that does not begin by looking for people whom we can lead. It begins by living a life radically centered on...  Read More

Tuning Our Heart — Two2Grow, Monday, July 13 “They shall come with weeping, And with supplications I will lead them. I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters, In a straight way in which they shall not stumble; For I am a Father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn.” Jeremiah 31:9 NKJVThere was an elderly man of God in one of the churches I pastored who often referred to today's text by ...  Read More

Don't Leave It Unfinished— Two2Grow, Sunday, July 12 “Tell Archippus: ‘See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.’” Colossians 4:17 NIVI played soccer as a kid. Our team wasn’t that great, and I remember our coach often encouraging us to keep at it, even when we were down by several goals. I don’t remember whether the coach ever used the common phrase, “It’s not how yo...  Read More

The Lost Art of Hospitality—Two2Grow, Saturday, July 11 “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2 NIVAs Emelie and I have served the Lord in churches in Europe, Africa, Asia, and America, we have come to see that we can learn different things from different cultures. When pastoring a church made u...  Read More

Stay in the Fight — Two2Grow, Friday, July 10 “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.” — 2 Samuel 11:1 NIVHave you ever felt like just tapping out of the fight? It's easy to get tired and worn down by the spiritual battle we're in. T...  Read More

You Have Someone — Two2Grow, Thursday, July 9 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred.” John 5:7a (NIV)Have you ever been in a place where you felt that nobody understood and nobody could help? Life can bring us to places where we identify with the invalid man who said, "I have no one to help me."People often disappoint us. Sometimes they have ...  Read More