You may or may not know that October is “Pastor Appreciation Month.” Because I have pastored for thirty years, I am hesitant to write on this topic, but I also believe that it is an important issue. A number of surveys have revealed that there is a significant attrition occurring within the ranks of pastors which threatens the future of churches across the United States. These studies show that in recent years over fifty percent of the men who enter the pastorate drop out before achieving ten years of service. 

Does it feel like you've woken up to yet another day fighting the cultural dumpster fire? You're not alone. Many faithful brothers and sisters are fighting alongside you. But it's not enough to keep monotonously throwing water on the fire—it's sometimes important to step back and study just how the fire’s progressing. Only then can you know where best to attack.

The pro-Palestinian organization Students for Justice in Palestine announced Thursday, October 12 to be a "Day of Resistance" and called for a coordinated series of protests on college campuses to support the Hamas attacks on Israel and speak out against "Zionism." And what a day it was.

As he lists off the groups of fighting men who joined David in Hebron, the writer of 1 Chronicles gives the men of Issachar a special description: they understood the times and they knew what Israel ought to do (1 Chronicles 12:32). Although we live in a much different context, I think the overarching principle ought to be applied to us as well. It's important for us to understand our times and know what we ought to do. As a matter of fact, knowing the right course of action often requires us to first understand our times. Spend a good while listening before speaking.

Kolby and Keegan Kemp are not among your best known names from the college football ranks. Both played the sport at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois—a school known for excellence on the gridiron and in academics. Moreover, a school steeped in the Christian faith. Kolby played wide receiver for his four years there. Younger brother Keegan was a quarterback and receiver.

Everyone knows that one kid who joined the theater program and then became the epitome of a “theater kid.” If you asked them to tell you who they are as a person, they would probably say something related to theater, because it’s become their whole identity.

Several essential characteristics separate humans from other mammals. The most significant among them is our complex reasoning ability. We can solve problems throughout the full range of our current awareness. We have a powerful capability to observe, collect, and analyze facts. We can formulate theories and design meticulous studies to test them out. And we can debate the meaning of the findings of those studies.

To this point in my life, I have had the pleasure of visiting three foreign countries. The memories of each hold a special place in my heart, punctuated by stunning views, friendships (and delicious meals shared) with some of the strongest and kindest people I’ve ever met, and a life-changing realization of the depth of God’s love for the world.

Americans should be dismayed by the fact that the single most effective force for good in the West, which has done so much on behalf of the powerless and weak, referring to Christianity, is under virulent, relentless attack from the Left!

f you haven’t noticed, immigration has been a much hotter topic in Illinois news recently. As waves of migrants are bused up to Illinois from the southern border and as they try to find living space in shelters, airports and even police stations, Chicago and other cities are seriously struggling to find room for them all.

In a July 2010, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation featured a story by Ginger Gorman about a homosexual couple’s efforts to become parents. Peter Truong and Mark Newton of Queensland, Australia were celebrated as loving, caring, gay parents of their son, Boy 1.

Immigrants have long swarmed America’s shores because of the opportunities afforded to all who arrive here. Historically, a person could start a business with all the potential risks and rewards involved or take the safer route of being employed by someone else. Employment and educational opportunities have been virtually unlimited, and the choice was yours to make.

For those of us who survived the 1960s, we can recall the August 1969 festival known as Woodstock. Billed as “Three Days of Peace and Music,” the anticipated crowd of 50,000 instead grew to somewhere near a half a million people. All trying to survive those three days in less than ideal circumstances. 

It’s a topic that’s showing up more and more in books, thought pieces, news outlets, podcasts, and blogs, inside and outside the church: the secularization of America. Pew Research and Gallup (to name a few) have recently highlighted the rise of the “nones” (religiously unaffiliated) across the nation, specifically in the last several years.

Most schools are actively indoctrinating our children with falsehoods about all kinds of things. These falsehoods range from sexuality to racism to economics to our nation’s founding, even to math and science and medicine and the environment.