My wife and I have had parents pass into eternity in recent years, and we’ve learned firsthand that among the many unexpected decisions confronting surviving loved ones is determining how much and what aspects of the deceased’s history to preserve. Wading through all their photos, slides, videos, digital files, journals, papers, and keepsakes – not…

Decades ago, I took part in a study designed to help teams and their leaders understand each other better and work together more effectively. At its conclusion, each participant received a report describing their personality type and the work environment they would most likely thrive in. And I still vividly recall my reaction to a couple of sentenc…

I was twenty-one when I pulled my car to the entrance of Little Company of Mary hospital in Torrance, CA to pick up my wife and our first child from the maternity ward. After Sue was seated and I’d placed our newborn in her lap – child car seats weren’t a thing in those days – I closed the passenger door and began making my way to the driver’s side…

In the fall of 2008, my wife was away on a personal retreat seeking the Lord in prayer regarding his plans for the next season of her life, and she felt her heart drawn to Isaiah chapter 41. Several parts of that passage spoke to her deeply, especially the phrases, “Fear not, for I am with you,” and “Those who war against you shall be as nothing.” …

In just two days, I’ll celebrate the glories of Easter with exultant believers around the globe. But today, I join the family of the redeemed in remembering the price of our salvation and the love that paid it. It’s Good Friday. And this year, I’m determined not to just give token consideration to the crucifixion while on my way to basking in the g…

I was fourteen years old when I first lied to my parents. It was actually the only time I was ever untruthful with them. I’d just come home from a party at a friend’s house that I hadn’t told them about, and I made up a story to cover my tracks. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I definitely and sadly remember the moment. It may sound like …

As Jesus stood on display before them with the blood from his wounds seeping through the purple robe Pilate’s troops had draped over him in mockery, the religious elite pressed Pilate to finish him off by nailing him to a cross. The torture already inflicted had been at the procurator’s command in a failed attempt to appease them, but he resisted t…

When I’m home, I usually watch the evening news to keep up with what’s going on. But in this age of ubiquitous real-time video capturing a world becoming increasingly loveless, violent, and tragic, I’m finding the reports more difficult to watch. These days, correspondents frequently preface their stories with cautionary statements like, “This repo…

John 18:39-40 documents a very odd exchange between Pilate and the Jewish leaders that ultimately reveals the spectacular beauty of the gospel.After conducting his own interrogation of Jesus, Pilate determined he was not guilty of the charges brought by the Jewish leaders. In fact, the governor said, “I find no fault in him AT ALL.” However, instea…

I’m an introvert and very comfortable with silence, but I love the sound of my wife’s voice. And I delight in pursuing the treasures to be discovered when she speaks. Whether she’s asking me to pass the salt, telling me about her day, or verbally processing something she’s going through, I find myself wanting to be present and fully engaged with ea…

I love riding rollercoasters. But while recently visiting a local theme park, I noticed and was impressed by something about them I’d not really considered before. Even after a wild ride of ups and downs and twists and turns at speeds designed to make you feel like things are out of control, they never really are. You always end up exactly where th…

There are few things more attractive than a campfire on a chilly night. Its warmth is comforting, its flickering light is mesmerizing, and the company of those sharing it is reassuring. But something tragic happened around the one described in John 18.The narrative in the middle section of the chapter switches back and forth between two scenes, rev…

I’m not now nor have I ever been an athlete, but I powerwalk from my home to the beach and back daily for exercise. My route takes about an hour and includes climbing several large hills. And every day, the final ascent requires me to decide all over again to push through my fatigue and embrace the challenge for the health benefit that results.Peop…

Have you ever misplaced the TV remote because you laid it down somewhere without thinking, stored something away for safekeeping and later forgot where you put it, or inadvertently left your credit card at a restaurant? Sure, you have. We all know what it feels like to lose something. But there are some of us who also know the other side of that em…

My wife and I recently vacationed in Honolulu, Hawaii, and I went for a walk one morning along the Ala Wai Canal. As I strolled under the canopy of the trees that line the pathway, I suddenly came upon two men wielding swords – real, metal swords – the kind that belong in a movie not the hands of strangers just ahead of you on the footpath. And I i…

Confession alert!I’ve nursed a serious animosity toward the pastor of one of the mega-churches in the region where I live. He’s well-known and I’m obviously not, so we don’t run in the same circles. I only know him from news reports and his public statements. But I don’t like him. No, it’s more than that. I’m disgusted by him. And although I’m temp…

While establishing a new church in Silicon Valley years ago, the Lord provided me a job with what was then the highest-valued technology company in the world. But I was not a computer scientist, engineer, or coder. I barely knew how to send an email. I was in way over my head. And one day in a meeting, I came VERY close to exposing my ignorance and…

Having already asked that they be preserved in their understanding of the fatherhood of God and that in their relationships with each other they would display the unity of his family, John 17:13-16 continues the record of the Lord’s petitions on behalf of his disciples.He prayed, “I come to you…that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.” An…

Sue and I have three kids who are now in their forties with families of their own. But when they were young and under our roof, our primary goal was to lovingly watch over, care for, train, and guide their lives in ways that would one day reproduce the values of our family in theirs, especially regarding our faith. We prayed that it would become a …

Jesus entered the climax of his earthly ministry through the portal of prayer. Between the Upper Room and Gethsemane on the way from the Last Supper to the Betrayal, he paused to intercede for himself, his disciples, and all future believers. The account of this exquisite supplication of Son to Father fills the whole of John chapter 17. And in the …

Sue and I will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary this year, and I can hardly believe I just said that. It seems like only yesterday that we walked the aisle, stood before God with our friends and family as witnesses, and pledged our love to each other. But the reality is a lot of living has passed since that day. We’ve experienced all the high…

A week ago, after playing my acoustic guitar to help lead worship at church, a man approached me to comment on the beautiful sound of my instrument. I don’t know what he thought of my playing. He didn’t say. But he was right about my guitar. It sounds great. It’s a blond, jumbo Guild I’ve had for fifty years. And like all well-made wooden instrumen…

There’s a new coffee shop in my neighborhood, and I stop there most mornings to grab a cup on my way to spend a few minutes watching the surfers down at the pier. When it first opened, I would save time by ordering ahead using an app, step inside just long enough to pick up my drink, and then be on my way without having to interact with anyone. But…

John chapter 17 provides the opportunity for us to eavesdrop on Jesus praying to the Heavenly Father. His betrayal and arrest in Gethsemane were imminent; he’d completed his ministry among the people of Galilee, Samaria, and Judea; and he’d just concluded the final preparation of his disciples for the disorienting events that would surround his cru…

My wife and I raised three kids of our own, have seven grandchildren, and during our four decades of pastoral ministry, cared for many families with little ones. So, we’ve engaged in our share of baby talk. That’s when an adult attempts to communicate with a youngster by simplifying what they want to say and the vocabulary they use so they can bett…

One of my lifelong mentors is a widely known and well-regarded Christian leader. During a conversation I had with him several months ago, he urged me to introduce myself to one of the teaching pastors on staff at a large church near my home. He’d met the young man, was impressed by his sincere devotion to Jesus, and thought it would be good for me …

Last Christmas, instead of typical gifts, my wife and I gave our children and their families experiences we could enjoy with them. For instance, one of the families received a two-night stay at an indoor, waterpark resort near their home in the state of Oregon. But the trip wouldn’t take place for another six weeks. So, although our young grandkids…

By Randy Boldt (TheJohnProject.com)

Having told the disciples his return to the Father would facilitate sending them the Holy Spirit, Jesus began to describe two aspects of the Spirit’s mission: convincing and communicating. John 16:8-11 contains the Lord’s description of the first of these.Most English New Testament versions translate the Greek verb used to quote his description of …

Jesus had told his disciples he’d soon be leaving them and that his departure would expose them to persecution. These two things – anticipation of the loss of his physical presence along with the prospect of their personal suffering – had caused them to experience sorrow of heart according to Jesus in John 16:6.But the previous verse quotes him sco…

It’s hard to stumble over something you can see. It’s the unknown, unexpected, hidden, and unobserved things that trip us up. When I was a kid at summer camp, our cabin leaders used to take us on flashlight hikes at night. And I learned that even in the dark on an unfamiliar trail with uneven terrain and many obstacles, I could maintain my footing …

In my opinion, the word hate is the strongest in the English language for expressing negative emotion. There are others such as detest, abhor, and loathe, but these and similar terms are usually reserved to communicate an intensity a step or two below full-blown hatred. Once it reaches that level, the emotion dial has no more stops. And it can ofte…

Have you ever been part of a schoolyard pick? That’s the process where a group of people are divided into teams by those who’ve been designated as leaders. It can be either a traumatic experience or an exhilarating one depending on how early you’re chosen. Turns are taken and selections made based on assessments of potential value to the teams unti…

At one point years ago, I needed to support my family while planting a new church, and I got a job as an accountant for a large tech company. It was during one of the information economy’s boom cycles, and the pace was crazy. There was so much work to do it became difficult to keep track of it all including remembering to pick up documents I’d send…

My wife and I live near the Disneyland Resort in Southern California and have annual passes to its theme parks. We usually spend one full day a month there. And that might reasonably make you wonder why a retired couple would want to spend so much time at a place designed for families with young kids? Well, we genuinely enjoy going on the rides and…

Lately, I’ve found myself less than enthused about seeing my doctor. Why? Because in this stage of my life, those visits almost always conclude with him telling me how much more I should exercise and how much less I should eat. And I tend to walk out of those appointments feeling like I’ve disappointed him. But the after-visit plan he prints out an…

Burnout. Jesus tried to warn me.One morning, nine years into my first pastorate, I woke with a strong sense from the Lord that something in my life needed urgent attention. And that alert was accompanied with the impression that he would restrain its consequences for one year to give me time to cooperate with him in addressing it. I’d already suffe…

My wife bought a pair of pruning shears the other day, and that act marked a significant turning point in her life. I’m not joking. It may not seem like a big deal to you, but anyone acquainted with the tenderness of that woman’s deeply sensitive heart would immediately recognize that the idea of cutting away part of a living thing, even to promote…

I simply can’t consider John 14:30-31 without becoming emotional. The profound courage and determined sacrifice embedded in my Savior’s words recorded there always elicit a reaction from deep within my soul.First, he told his disciples that the time for talk was nearing an end and the time for action was at hand. He said his consummate confrontatio…

I’ve reached the stage of life where my hearing is not as sharp as it was in my youth. More frequently than I’d like, I find I’m asking people to repeat themselves, and I sometimes have to turn up the volume on my TV to not miss passages of dialog. So, audiology is on my mind.God designed us with two ears strategically located on opposite sides of …

Years ago, I was in the process of preparing a Christmas message series, and I posed a question to my wife while we were out for a walk one evening. I asked her to consider all the people in her life – our family, our neighbors, her friends at work, the people in our congregation – and describe her sense of their deepest desire for that holiday sea…

Since 2004, I’ve had the privilege of teaching Bible students from around the world who travel to the nation of Taiwan for a five-month Discipleship Training School held there twice a year. I get to be with them for one week of their enrollment and conduct a three-hour, daily lecture.Every day, before introducing new material, I review the previous…

My prayer life includes me asking a lot of questions. Many arise out of my Bible reading, and others just erupt from my daily experiences. But I’ve learned the importance of finding a quiet place and bringing them to the Lord in prayer even though I know some of them won’t be answered or at least not yet. In those cases, I know it’s not that the an…

With his arrest in Gethsemane now just hours away, John 14:19-20 records Jesus telling his disciples they would soon experience three things. They would see what others don’t, come alive in a new way, and understand a mysterious reality.First, he said people would be divided into two groups: those who see him and those who don’t. He said they would…

As they processed what he was teaching them in preparation for his cross, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus understood the fear of abandonment the disciples were confronting. So, in John 14:16-18, he lovingly assured them they would not be orphaned. And he began preparing them to embrace the presence of the one he said the Father would provide to …

During a speech she gave at an event I attended five months ago, a friend made a request as a passing remark in an illustration she was using. But earlier this week, I had the opportunity to fulfill that offhand request, and I did it while quoting what she’d said on that occasion word for word. When I did, she responded incredulously saying, “You w…

In my early twenties, I was hired by a company that installed solar pool heaters. But I quit after only a few weeks because they repeatedly sent me out in the company truck to do installations without first ensuring that it was stocked with the parts, tools, and supplies I would need for the job. I’d show up at the homeowner’s property as an author…

My wife and I have been married nearly fifty years, but we almost didn’t make it past ten. At that point, Sue walked out on me and had every right to. I was so controlling and self-absorbed that although I’d been with her for a decade, I didn’t really know her. I’d never sufficiently invested my heart in the pursuit of discovering, celebrating, lea…

In the final hours before his crucifixion, Jesus remained focused on making sure his disciples were ready. And in John 14:4 he summarized a couple of the critical understandings they’d already received by stating that they knew where he was going and how to follow him there.But in verse 5, Thomas took issue with that.Now, it’s clear Jesus wasn’t wr…

A few years ago, my wife and I inherited the little house she grew up in near the beach in Southern California, and we decided to make it our home in retirement. So, we embarked on a big remodeling project. The house had seen better days and needed lots of repair work. But because we also wanted to have room for our kids and their families to visit…