At the Vineyard Midwest pastor's conference this week, Lance Pittluck from the Anaheim, California, Vineyard said he feels the Lord is calling the Vineyard to prayer.  He gave a strong challenge to the 200 pastors and leaders to spend time really listening to God in the weeks and months ahead.Maybe we all need bigger earsContinue reading "God expects us to listen if we want to really hear!"

So I was talking recently with some friends about how we want to be remembered.  Mostly, we were lamenting the fact of how incredibly busy we feel most of the time.  I said, "I can just imagine the words on my headstone: 'He was very, very busy doing very important tasks.'"Today I was reading anContinue reading "How to be Remembered"

Luke 11:29-30When the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, "This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to thisContinue reading "Called to live holy lives, not miraculous ones"

The "Exorcism of Emily Rose" is a court-room thriller where a young, female, single lawyer defends a priest on trial for negligent homicide in the death of Emily Rose, following a failed exorcism.  It's not a horror movie.  I don't like those.  But it is very intense.I sat between my son and my good friend,Continue reading "How do Westerners view demon Possession?"

As some residents begin returning to New Orleans, the photo on the left tells you how one business owner feels about would-be looters.Would that such an "intimidating" sign could actually protect us.  Jesus says when we pray we should ask to be delivered from evil."Heavenly Father, you are the creator and sustainer of the universe. Continue reading "How are we protected, anyway?"

The poem below by Jigme Lingpa and the Presence of God phrase from the Irish Jesuits Sacred Space prayer website underneath the poem go a long way in reminding me that my thoughts, actions and deeds in life really do matter... Jigme LingpaAs the eagle soars in the endless blue,Its shadow races after it, farContinue reading "Our Decisions really matter"

A little business, first.  I have found Bloglet to be generally unreliable in delivering my posts to those who subscribe to the Men of the Vineyard blog.  I have changed to FEEDblitz, a service that will now deliver the posts to my blog.  Now, here are 6 tips for apologizing effectively that I just readContinue reading "We must apologize when we are wrong"

One of the most inspiring and sobering stories from the Nazi resistance movement came from a resistance group in Munich called White Rose.Recently, I read from the Fourth Leaflet of the White Rose group.  The words could not be more pertinent for today:Everywhere and at all times demons lurk in the dark, waiting for theContinue reading "Demons lurking in the dark"