Stewarding Your Time

In light of my recent post on biblical illiteracy, I wanted to give some practical suggestions for being a better steward of the time God gives us each day, especially for making time for the study of God's Word.

I encourage you to keep track of how you spend your time for one week. You can use this time management sheet (PDF) to keep track of everything you do in a day, but most specifically what you do with your discretionary time.

For example, write down time spent:

Sleeping
Driving
Stores, shopping
Eating (will be easy to keep track ...

The JESUS Film: "Show it Again"

One of my favorite ministries is the JESUS film project, which I have personally witnessed at work in powerful ways in China, Cambodia and Mexico. (More about that later in this blog.)

Every word in the film is from the gospel of Luke, and it includes at the end an invitation to receive Christ. In countries with low literacy, people can't read the Bible even if it's been translated into their language; but all of them can understand the JESUS Film, which is Scripture on a screen, God made visible. I read an amazing story from the JESUS ...

Francis Schaeffer: Intellectual and Christ-lover

Friday, May 15, is the 25th anniversary of the home-going of Francis Schaeffer, intellectual and Christ-lover. When I was a new believer, I was profoundly influenced by what he wrote; Schaeffer's philosophical and apologetic writings, among them He Is There & He Is Not Silent, shaped my thinking in the seventies. (For those unfamiliar with Schaeffer, you can find excerpts from nearly all of his books at www.rationalpi.com/theshelter/sitemap.html)

Speak the Truth in Love

The most quoted verse these days is not "For God so loved the world," but "Judge not." Unfortunately, we often fail to understand what this means.

A Tribute to My Mother

This year in October (2009), it will be twenty-eight years since my mom died of cancer. Our Angela was only four months old then, so while Mom held Angie and fawned over her and loved her dearly, Angie wasn't old enough yet to understand what had happened. Sometimes I think how wonderful it will be one day for Angie and her grandmother to get to know each other.

What to Pray for, beyond Physical Healing

My friend Barry Arnold pastors Cornerstone Church here in Gresham, Oregon. Last year he sent an email to his church regarding prayer. It’s worth quoting:

I think our prayers are unbalanced—in the direction of just physical needs. We can and should pray for people with infirmities—but it might be wise to change the emphasis of our prayers from physical healing alone to God accomplishing His purposes in and through afflictions.

Here’s a partial list of things the New Testament tells us to pray for:

Pray for people who give you a hard time (Matthew 5:43-44 ...

May Giveaway of the Month: LifeChange Book Gift Set

The May giveaway is now closed. Check to see if your name was drawn as a winner.

This month, three randomly drawn winners will receive a book gift set of Randy’s books The Grace and Truth Paradox, The Purity Principle, and The Treasure Principle. They may be small, but each of these books has a powerful message.

The Grace and Truth Paradox is based on John 1:14, which boils down for us what it means to be Christlike. It means to be full of only two things: Grace and Truth. Instead of a dozen, this gives us just ...

The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy

Biblical illiteracy among Christians is arguably at an all time high, with chilling implications that can hardly be overstated. I know that various things in the church will inevitably change, such as songs and hymns taking on new forms, and that's fine. What isn't fine is for God's people to neglect His Word.

Announcing the Winners of the April Giveaway

Here are the winners from this month’s giveaway! Each of the three winners will receive Randy’s Theology of Money DVD class as well as a copy of the book Money, Possessions and Eternity.

The randomly drawn winners are:

1) Don Helfer
2) ericdylan2-bookstore
3) The Farmer’s Wife

All winners, please e-mail me at stephanie@epm.org with your mailing address.

All money and giving related books, including Money, Possessions and Eternity and The Treasure Principle, are on sale from EPM at a 40% discount through the end of April. We’re also having a gift book ...

A Triumphant Life: William Borden

Five years ago I received an e-mail from our friends Pat and Rakel Thurman, who had been corresponding with a tour group that was going to Egypt. This group had a special request: they hoped to find the humble grave of missionary William Borden, which was mentioned in my book The Treasure Principle. Pat and Rakel, who were missionaries in Egypt for several years, later received an e-mail and a photo from the group after they successfully found Borden's grave.

Here's what they wrote:

Thanks so much for helping us find the grave of William Borden. After visiting ...