When Paul was speaking to the crowd on Mars Hill, in Acts 17, he introduced them to the Unknown God they seem to have missed and evidently knew nothing about. He stepped up and said – in essence – “Let me tell you about him!” He described a God who had no limits, no competition, […]
Have you ever wondered what angels to for fun? How do I know they have fun? I guess I don’t – for sure – but how can human-like spiritual beings be so full of joy and celebration and not have fun? Do they just sit around 24/7 and wait for something to rejoice/cheer about or […]
Happy New Year! May all your resolutions be resolved – or at least renamed! How many times have you began the new year with a list of resolutions? I have been amazed at how much attention the local and national new has given to New Year’s Resolutions the last few days. Most of the attention […]
Here we are, two-thirds of the way through December, and I haven’t done anything on this blog this month. There’s a good reason. We went on an almost two week forty-fifth wedding anniversary trip to Disney World and on a Disney cruise. It was a wonderful trip with a couple of wonderful friends – Don […]
I did another funeral today for another older brother who lived a long and wonderful life in Jesus. I am so thankful for the life of this dear brother and so thankful that we got to be friends for thirteen years. I’m also thankful that I could be there for his family and have the […]
In my last blog I revealed my plans for the next couple of books in my Matt Zampolos series. It’s fun to work on these stories and develop plots and story lines that build for each character in the books. Matt is the main character, of course, but he has a team of agents and […]
Even though The Judas Sword was published back in the Spring, I actually wrote it almost two and a half years ago. My attempts to secure a literary agent was getting frustrating, so I took the route of self-publishing. It has been encouraging to hear from so many people who have not only purchased it […]
A while back, I wrote a book entitled God’s Tool Box. It’s only available online and I haven’t done a lot of promoting of it, even though I believe it’s one of the most profound books I have written. Actually, it’s the thesis of the book that is profound. Whether the book as a whole […]
I suspect that the more you struggle with something growing up – maturing – the more you appreciate it with age. I remember being a teen, and then a young adult, and wanting to be a man of integrity in a visceral passionate way. I wanted it…but I struggled with too many weaknesses and egocentric […]
Your definition of respect will vary greatly depending on who you learned if from. To be more accurate, I should say, your application of respect will vary depending on who your teacher was. The prevalent belief is that respect is only given when it is earned or deserved. “You want my respect,” shouts the disenchanted […]
It has been encouraging – and flattering – to receive so many nice comments from folks who have read The Judas Sword. I have heard from several members of my church family who have talked about how much they enjoyed it, and that truly makes me happy. I especially love it when folks talk about […]
Most of us believe we are good drivers. Many believe they are incredible drivers. One of the ironic things about driving, I believe, is that even the worst drivers on earth think the world would be a better place if everyone drove like they did. It’s not only an illogical thought, but it displays how […]
I have always believed that Satan’s powers were seriously limited somehow – someway back in the first century. I was taught that on many occasions and a couple of scriptures were always used to confirm that speculation. In my recent study of spiritual warfare, I have re-examined those verses and have serious doubts that they […]
Research is fun – if it’s in an area of study you love. I truly enjoyed nearly every graduate History class I took to get my Master’s at George Mason University, and nearly every class required a research paper. The grade on that paper usually ended up being your grade for the course. I was […]
In a lesson a couple weeks ago, I warned my church family to not get caught in the Y Trap. Anyone who has worked with plumbing knows that there are U Traps, S Traps, P Traps, and even J Traps, but this isn’t about plumbing. I’m using Y to symbolize WHY and it truly is […]
I’m sure you have had many discussions about which Harry Potter book/film is your favorite. I certainly have. It is a challenging concept because it really depends on what your criterion is for favorite. This is further complicated by time and memory, and is probably more true for the movie versions than the books. For […]
I guess it’s possible to not be emotionally attached to a book you write, but I can’t imagine it. Maybe some professionals who write everyday and turn out boat-loads of prose can write-forget-about-it, and move on to the next project. Not me. Any book that I have ever written became something bigger when I finished […]
Over the years I have preached many different sermons about heaven. We don’t know a lot about it, because like most things in the spirit realm, God gave us just enough insight to thirst for more. Still, we have enough to paint a picture of a place we all surely want to go. One of […]
In Scot McKnight’s book The Hum of Angels, he gives a powerful challenge for us to tune into the spirit realm and recognize there is plenty going on that we don’t see or hear. With some spiritual awareness, however, we can begin to start hearing the hum, or the presence, of angels. His is one […]
I went to see Dark Tower yesterday. It had been on my “want to” list, but a close brother at church Sunday said, “Mike, you’ve got to see it!” So, I got it done. It was a fun action adventure film with all the dark and weird things you’d expect from Stephen King. It was […]
I have already written some about the WHY behind the writing of this new series about Matt Zampolos. Yes, I have goals, plans, and even dreams, but the simple true is I wrote it because I wanted to. I haven’t done very much fiction writing in my life, but I have been a huge reader […]
The best way to get around the confines of limited biblical information is to simply create a whole new world. Why not? There were several factors that came crashing together when I first began outlining the new spirit realm that Matt Zampolos would suddenly find himself in. It’s an agent camp. A place were agents […]
It’s difficult to combine our literary and cultural picture of angels with the biblical perspective. All our lives, angels have been pictured and described as winged creatures, in long flowing white robes, with halos on their head. Or, cute little cherubs with harps or bow and arrow. The Bible tells us that we are surrounded […]
I don’t know if there is such a thing as a crossover book. It’s certainly not a genre in the publishing word – yet! When I decided I wanted to do a series of books about angels and what goes on in the spirit realm, the first thought I had was “Who would want to […]
It makes me feel a little uncomfortable to confess it, but I’m a Star Wars nut, a Lord of the Rings freak, and a total Harry Potter fan. I was slow about become a nut, freak, and fan for all three of these classic series, but when I did take the plunge, I was […]