
A Personal Holy Spirit
Perhaps you know this about me — I love, love, love to eat a good, juicy hamburger. So, Vickie and I ate lunch at a local restaurant that specializes in hamburgers. The word "specializes" might be a huge understatement. It's crazy to believe that this restaurant has fifty different types of hamburgers on its menu. On their list of gourmet burgers are Meatloaf (the burger is stuffed with diced green pepper, raw onion, and seasoning), Rowdy Reuben (Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Thousand Island dressing served on grilled rye bread), and Pizza (grilled onions, green pepper, and provolone...

Your Present, The Holy Spirit’s Past
Many of this blog’s readers only know me by my weekly blog postings, from hearing me speak at our conferences, and/or hearing me preach in a local church service. But there’s another side of me that you don’t know about. I love practical jokes. Here’s a great example. Several years ago, while we were still living in South Florida, Vickie flew to Texas for a few days to attend a family member’s wedding. My parents picked Vickie up at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport and then took her to their home for a nice quiet night before the wedding festivities kicked in the next morning. My being in...

What If?
Have you ever heard of, or better yet, played the "what if" game? Surely, you are affirmatively shaking your head. In this game, a "what if" situation or event is given, and those participating are challenged to present different plausibilities to complete the scenario. Here's an example — what if Billy (that's me) walks into a Whataburger restaurant? I won't announce my thoughts, but rather leave the possible results to your imagination. Here’s a “what if” (well, maybe several) for you personally and/or your ministry to ask. "What if" we quit treating the Book of Acts as though it is just a...

What Translation of the Bible Are They Reading?
Many years ago, I heard the story of a group of pastors who were debating the merits of different Bible translations. One pastor told his peers that he always used the King James Version in his preaching because of its richness in conveying God’s Word. Another pastor said that the Amplified Translation was his favorite because it greatly enlarged the shades and meanings of various words in each verse. Another pastor stated that he loved to preach from the Living Translation because of its fluidity and ease. The discussion continued for some time until a young lady in the back of the...

Let’s Make History
Some blog postings require sentence after sentence and paragraph after paragraph in order to share my thoughts. Here’s a thought that only takes a few words. It’s taken from a brief quote from one of my favorite preachers, Leonard Ravenhill. “I’m sick and tired of (only) reading about church history; let’s make (some) by the grace of God!” ~ Leonard Ravenhill The Holy Spirit of old that equipped and empowered the men and women in the Book of Acts to impact lives, cities, and nations is still the same today. I can't write this more emphatically — lives, cities, and nations are waiting on you....
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