I received a very disturbing text at around 11 pm a few weeks ago concerning a man I’ve been discipling. It read, “Hey Keith, Shawn is on Life Support. That’s all the details I have. I will let you know when I know more.” WOW! Needless to say, I had a tough time sleeping that night. Many prayers were said on his behalf that night. He is one of the guys I’ve been pouring into for the last two years. He made it through the night and I got to visit him the next morning.
Read MoreJesus believed in a getaway! He loved people, but He knew He needed time away. He escaped from the crowds, even His disciples at times. Real ministry is a battlefield and requires real rest and time away. In almost 43 years of marriage, Penny and I have never really experienced a getaway when we felt so rested and refreshed like we did last month. It was nice not to have to hurry this year. We spent over three weeks visiting friends and relatives in Florida and we loved it. We hope to make it an annual trek to read, write and refresh for ministry.
Read MoreI am convinced more and more I need to seek Him more and more. Primarily, I seek Him for help with my discipleship ministry. I am most passionate about helping men walk with God, to serve Him wholeheartedly, not by the least they can do, but with a mentality that is all in. All this to develop them to do the same for another man. This is truly where the rubber meets the road in my ministry, discipling men to become disciple makers.
Read MoreWe were planning on meeting with 20 pastors in Cuba and 27 showed up! We bunked in Camaguey, in the heartland of Cuba. We could not stay with the pastor and his family as it might appear to the Cuban authorities that we were up to something, while the only reason we were there was to love on these pastors and encourage them from the Word.
Read MoreMy traveling ministry buddy, Tom Cook, and I are heading to Cuba this Wednesday. We have a golden opportunity there to meet with, teach and encourage 20 Cuban pastors. Tom and I have done this in other countries but this is our first time to the nation of Cuba. I am connecting with you to ask for special prayer as we minister there. Please pray for us, our families and the Cuban pastors as we usually come under attack when doing this.
Read MoreFor the last 35 years the above question has served me well. Early on in ministry as a young pastor my plate was already full when the church leaders approached me about teaching a college class. Our church was located only a few miles from the University of Iowa so it made sense to give college students some of my focus. I replied, “I will teach it on one condition…
Read MoreThanks to your prayer and financial support, I get to disciple men as well as minister in various venues. Recently, I had the privilege of teaching in chapel at Des Moines Christian School.
Read MoreFrom time to time, I (Alex) am asked this question from those who know my Dad as their former pastor, or even from many who read his newsletter (138 subscribers) and are curious of his ministry impact when he’s not traveling. My answer may be different from my dad’s. I wanted to share with all of his supporters the view from my chair, someone who was just in the audience when Dad spoke about discipleship, and someone who is familiar with Dad’s ministry agenda when he’s not traveling….
Read More40 years ago this last June, I married my dream girl.
After realizing God’s profound Grace in my own life, I decided to go to Bible College for one year. I made a commitment to the Lord that I would focus on getting to know Him through His Word, and not on chasing girls. After my arrival I did “just happen to notice” this one named Penny Milks. Besides being a cutie, there was just something about her.
A few weeks into the semester,
Read MoreThe other agents looked and nodded in agreement. Motioning me over, the officer in charge pointed into my bag directly at my Bible and said, “This is the problem.” I have to admit, my heart did skip a beat and I thought, here we go! I was flushed with a weird sensation and thought to myself, “Is this really happening?” Is the Word of God now the enemy here? After traveling overseas and going through airport after airport and customs hundreds of times, I have to say, this was a first. I then asked him, “do you mean my Bible?” He responded, “Yes, the Bible is the problem.”
Read Moref you were asked to give a brief summary of the Book of all books, how would you reply? This reminds me of my favorite seminary professor giving us an assignment. He asked us to summarize the Bible in one page. He then explained he didn’t want us to use “Christianese,” or any well known theological terms but to wrestle with it ourselves and to put in our own words. He wanted us to think! Do whaaat? The next class he asked us to do it again, but this time in a paragraph. The following class meeting he asked us to reduce it to a sentence. Finally, and unbelievable to us, our assignment was to summarize the entire Bible in one word. “It can’t be done!” some responded, while others murmured, “how can we do this?”
Read MoreMy Grandson Chase (“Chase-ter”) told me, “Papa, this is the best fort ever!” Our grandkids have no shortage of toys, so watching them have fun with these soon to be discarded boxes was amazing. I loved it that our grandkids had a ton of fun with those old boxes and it was the best fort ever. I sincerely mean this, when I tell you that for me the best thing ever, is to be able to serve God
Read MoreDo you remember? The older I become, the less I like that question! My daughter Abby asked if I remembered a birthday cake made for her by a special friend of ours. She described it and I wanted so badly to remember it so as not to hurt her feelings, but to no avail. Anyway, she was very understanding and I told her that maybe in Heaven God will allow us to remember all those special things.
Read MoreIn mid-March at my brother's birthday party, I was greeted by some friends and relatives with an elbow bump. What's that about?? Close encounters of the weirdest kind! We all know this kind of greeting was in response to the government mandate for social distancing.
Read MoreWhen competing as a young wrestler, I used to have an edge. You may think it would be something I was proud to tell you about...not so much.
Read MoreI hear there’s a new James Bond movie coming out in April. I’m not recommending you go, but consider this, there’s a reason these movies have been around for almost 70 years. They appeal to the hero deep inside all of us.
Read MorePenny and I were recently with our youngest son Eric, (aka Bucky) visiting the local mall for a bite out. As we strolled through the mall (one of my least favorite things to do), my son asked me to go with him to a candy store and after some persuading, I did.
Read MoreCan you believe it’s December already with Christmas soon approaching? What a special season especially for us who have our eternal Hope in Jesus Christ. Talk about a gift that keeps on giving!
Read MoreI am very excited about our growing ministry in Haiti. I leave in a few days for my seventh trip there this year. Our new base is finished so we encourage people to come and minister with us to the Haitian people.
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