“For several years he [Martin Luther] read through the whole Bible twice a year, cover to cover. He characterized his reading with phrases like “rapping on it” or “knocking on it” for it to open; he “stormed” it or “tasted” individual verses.”—Thomas Kaufmann, A Short Life of Martin Luther, p 60. The Reformation was fueled

On January 1, 1985 I was asked by the elders of my church to resign as pastor, effective immediately. I did as they asked and wrote a nice resignation letter. Through a strange series of events, Sharon and I ended up going back to that same Bible church four years later. After a time I

Every person wrestles with making decisions. We make decisions every day such as what clothes to where, whether to check social media right now or read the Bible, whether to order fries or Brussel sprouts with a hamburger, whether to eat out in the first place, etc… As well, we all face “larger” decisions at

Allen Rea, a pastor in Georgia, suggested that the repetition of “found” is a play on words by John. I love that suggestion. Notice how it brings the verse alive: “[Andrew] first found his own brother Simon [= Peter], and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated, the Christ).”[1] There are

In June of 1986 I was hired by Multnomah Bible College to teach Greek and Bible. This required a big move from east Texas. We packed all our furniture into a U Haul truck and with the help of Sharon’s parents, Graham and Camille, moved to Oregon. We found the best place to live, Lake

When I went to college I chose to attend a military college. I really enjoyed being there, but there was one major problem. Whenever I and many of my fellow cadets wanted to go downtown, we didn’t want people to know we were military cadets. It was only a few years after the end of

The bedroom door slammed open and my son ran in crying. “There’s a monster on the ceiling!” “Huh?” Not again. I groggily got out of bed and followed Zane down the hallway and into his room. He pointed a trembling finger at a red light on the ceiling. “Monster eyes!” I sighed. “Bubba, who told

The other day I was talking with Mark and Bethany. They’ve worked here for many years. I mentioned that Zane Hodges had never worked for GES and they were surprised. I realize I need to clarify Zane’s involvement for all who enjoy our ministry. I founded GES in June of 1986. I have headed the

When I was in my late twenties I read articles and books on finances and investing. Most of the authors pointed out that if you could save just $2,000 per year for 10 years when you were 25 and then add nothing to it you’d have more money at age 65 than if you saved

I was studying Hebrew in Israel when another student arrived somewhat unexpectedly without a place to stay. We were in a conundrum. He was present for the course but did not have a place to stay. Lodging at a price a student can afford can be difficult to find, especially on short notice. I made