If there has ever been a time in my life when I needed a word of encouragement, it was yesterday morning. God graciously provided just what I needed through my friend, Evangelist Paul Schwanke. We had actually scheduled Brother Schwanke a few years ago to preach at Lancaster Baptist this Sunday—long before I had any idea of the trial our family would be facing at this time. But the Lord knew, and He provided “a word fitly spoken” (Proverbs 25:11).

Brother Schwanke preached from Psalm 11:1-3 on “When the Foundations Fall”—what to do when you feel as if your life is crumbling underneath you. He helped us to answer the question posed in verse 3, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” with the following outline: (more…)

This Thanksgiving season, I’ve been meditating on Psalm 100 and finding much encouragement through its basic truths. With Larry’s surgery this past Saturday and these days of waiting for further test results, the Lord has used this Psalm to remind me that the most important time to count blessings is during the difficult times. God remains the same in all seasons, and Psalm 100:3 tells us three truths about God that thankful people continually acknowledge.

“Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”

1. Thankful people trust in God’s sovereignty.

A dear pastor friend in another state called a few days ago to tell me he was praying for our son Larry and our family. I missed his call, but he made a statement on my voice mail that has helped me tremendously. “I don’t always understand our God,” he said—and then quickly added, “but I always trust Him.” (more…)

This past Saturday I received a call from my son Larry, who presently serves as one of our youth pastors at Lancaster Baptist Church. He had received a call from his doctor indicating the need for emergency surgery. A few hours later, we sat with Ashley, Larry’s wife, as the doctors removed a malignant tumor from his body. Larry came through surgery and is presently recovering, but the coming weeks will be critical.

We are praying, and asking you to pray, that the cancer was localized to the tumor and that further tests will reveal that no further surgeries or treatments will be necessary.

Larry is a godly young man with a strong faith. Watching him bear this news and trust the Lord through it has taught me much. We know that the Lord is in control, and we continue to trust His guiding hand. Surely, “He knoweth the way that I take…” (Job. 23:10).

Your prayers for Larry and Ashley and for our entire family are much appreciated.

Several months ago, I posted an article about social networking on “The Pastor’s Perspective.” As social networking gains popularity and usage, the need for Christians to apply biblical principles to online communication has exponentially increased. Thus I’m re-posting the article, and I trust it will encourage you to re-examine your online activity in the light of God’s Word.

You may also consider reading the booklet I wrote this past summer on this topic: The Blessings and Pitfalls of Social Networking, available through Striving Together Publications.

Keeping a Good Testimony with Your Friends and Followers

As a pastor, it is my joy to help people in their daily walks with God.Every day more and more people are becoming connected through technology.  While I am not an expert on these subjects, I obviously have a blog, and I am even trying to understand the value of Twitter and other such technologies.

With that in mind, allow me to share some thoughts with you that I shared with some of my fellow laborers here at Lancaster Baptist Church and West Coast Baptist College. (more…)

In Mark 12:31, Jesus told His audience, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” In fact, the command to love one’s neighbor appears ten different times in the Scriptures. At Lancaster Baptist Church, we have set aside a special week to devote special attention to following these instructions.

Our strategy is that every member of Lancaster Baptist Church would perform “intentional acts of kindness” to demonstrate God’s love to coworkers, neighbors, friends, and complete strangers.

The idea behind Love Your Neighbor Week is that we would point our community to the Lord Jesus Christ through our actions. With each act of kindness, we follow up with a simple reminder of God’s love—a card that says “God loves you” and has our church’s name and contact information on it. (more…)