"He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name's sake. Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me" (Psalm 23:3, 4, CSB). Gandalf was right when he said, "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door." For the first time in over two months, Ollie the Border Collie and Millie the Black Dog and I stepped out of our door for our morning walk. We have walked several times with my bride recently, but this was our first [...]

If you love the preacher, you go on Sunday morning. If you love the church, you are back on Sunday night. But if you love Jesus, you attend the prayer meeting on Wednesday. Though its effectiveness was dubious, such guilt-ridden appeals were how pastors of old communicated the importance of corporate prayer. I may have used the line a time or two myself. Publicly praying, however, seems contrary to the heart of what Jesus taught on the matter. While pastors make the commitment to prayer meetings the highest badge of honor, Jesus spoke of private attendance in an unseen closet [...]