My biggest problem in life has always been ME. SELF. Pitiful, but true. SELF-denial is something I was never naturally good at. I began at a very early age to work hard and save money, but the goal of both was still so that I might buy things for mySELF. But then I'm not the only one, am I? Selfishness is a part of our fallen human nature. Let's call it what it is- SIN. This is why Jesus said, "If...  Read More

Jesus said, "WHEN you pray..." and then told us how we should position our hearts for prayer. He also said, "WHEN you fast..." In the same way that Jesus expected his followers to pray, He also EXPECTED us to fast. Like prayer and reading your Bible, fasting is a spiritual discipline that will strengthen your daily life. Through fasting bad habits that have become strongholds can be broken. This i...  Read More

In Matthew 6:16-18 Jesus said, "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father who is unseen. And your Father, who se...  Read More

When I am by myself, I often do NOT do good things (or healthy things) that I would ABSOLUTELY do with someone else. The first place that I ever served in ministry as a new Christian was as 'game leader' for a high school youth group. I only agreed to serve because others were doing it with me. This was also true of the first time I attended a Bible study, the first time I attended a Sunday night ...  Read More

Men, in general, are more reserved when it comes to singing out loud in front of other people. In worship, this can cause us to become more SELF- conscious than we are GOD- conscious. But don't imagine it's because Christian men won't worship. We love it when ours is one of many voices that become ONE voice. This is what happens when you fill a room with godly men... or godly women... or Christ fo...  Read More

One thing about our incessantly difficult weather is that most of us TREASURE a beautiful day. I spent 5 hours with two friends this week drinking in the sunshine. From our 0° start to the day, the temperature by mid-afternoon had risen more than 20 degrees. The trail in was both difficult and unpleasant, but we eventually broke into open country with deep powder. We prayed together and openly tha...  Read More

A week ago I climbed an inactive volcano named 'Koko Head.' During WWII they actually lay rail tracks up the vertical slope and put defense bunkers on top. To get to the top, you must climb what seems like thousands of railroad ties one step at a time. Some things in life can only be accomplished that way. If you want to be a nurse, you must first graduate from high school or get your GED. Then yo...  Read More

Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." We are naturally good 'receivers.' That's easy. Just make certain that your children open one gift at a time and then walk over to thank and hug the giver before they open the next gift. Receiving well takes a little practice, but the joy of giving is something that needs to be TAUGHT to our children, MODELED for them, and PRACTICED daily. ...  Read More

Each year our church fasts together and then breaks the fast together with communion and a simple meal at our Good Friday service. Why fast? 1) Fasting is an act of OBEDIENCE. Giving instructions to his disciples, Jesus said, "WHEN you fast..."  He did not say, "IF you fast..." 2) Through fasting, we force our flesh to come under the control of our Spirit. SELF-discipline is hard for all of us to ...  Read More

Successfully fishing Southeastern Minnesota trout streams requires expert casting. The first reason for this is that the streams are lined with brush and low-hanging branches that dangle just above the surface of the water. Those who can't cast well spend more time with their hooks snagged on the brush than they do fishing. My brother John and I spent hours practicing in the backyard with a 1 oz s...  Read More

I just got back from an amazing weekend with 50 other men. Pastor Dean Burris challenged us with great messages on Biblical Masculinity. We had ring toss contests and ping pong, golf on the lake and trap shooting. Men played board games and cribbage, skied and rode snowmachines... We had incredible times of worship, laughed together, made new friendships and strengthened ties with those we already...  Read More

My brothers, John and Jim, are good hunters. I told them that if they would take vacation time the first week of August and fly up from Minnesota to hunt with me, that I would buy their plane tickets. I told them to come for a minimum of 10 days, but they were each only able to get 5 days of vacation time. I drove over 200 miles to pick them up at the airport and then drove over 800 miles to hunt ...  Read More