President's Blog

It thrills me to hear positive comments from people who have read my new book, Prayers That Change Things. It truly is a life-changing book, because it is based entirely on the Scriptures. Learning to pray God's Word has changed my life in so many positive ways, because as I pray the Scriptures, I am able to focus on the Lord and His promises. While praying in this way, I appropriate His promises and apply them to my own life. In a week or so, the next book in this series will be released. ...

Smith Wigglesworth, a well-known healing evangelist of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, wrote these words of truth: "If I read the newspaper, I come out dirtier than I went in. If I read my Bible, I come out cleaner than I went in, and I like being clean." The news of today and the past several days causes me to wonder if many in our society (including some Christians) have forgotten the Golden Rule, which states, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" ...

When I took an Advanced Writing course at Glassboro State College I was greatly disheartened when I received the grade of C+ on a paper I wrote. When I conferred with my professor about it, she calmly said, "Lloyd, in the light of eternity this grade has no significance." And she was certainly right about that. When you come right down to it, not that many things do matter in the light of eternity. Billy Graham wrote, "Christians can rejoice in tribulation because they have eternity's values ...

A dark night is rising around the world. It is being manifested in shocking and disturbing places and ways. It is deceiving many and victimizing many innocent people in its shadows. This was a tragic week in Aurora, Colorado. We have just encountered another person who was determined to inflict violence and harm on people he did not know. His name is James Holmes, and he has personified evil in unexpected ways. He joins a list of other infamous people such as Jerry Sandusky, Adolf Hitler, ...

While watching an NPR program about Queen Victoria, I was reminded of the important work of Dr. David Livingstone, a pioneer medical missionary and explorer of the Victorian Era, who served with the London Missionary Society. He was regarded as a popular national hero by the British and people around the world. He became a legend in his lifetime. His was a "rags-to-riches" type of story—a poor boy who became a doctor, a scientific investigator, reformer, and anti-slavery crusader. This ...

Someone has said, "Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn't take you anywhere." H.A. Ironsides wrote a booklet that I read as a young man. It was entitled Worry Is a Sin. I was stunned by that title because I come from a family of worry warts. Why is worry a sin? It's because it cancels out faith and trust. When we are worrying, we are not trusting, and when we are trusting we are not worrying. The Bible says that whatsoever is not of faith is sin. ...

As a boy, I became a member of a Methodist Church. The church I attended was very evangelical and full of love. While there, I learned about the Wesleys and the role they played in the founding of our denomination. The mother of John and Charles Wesley was Susanna. Many call her the Mother of Methodism. More than that, though, she was the mother of nineteen children. (Ten of her children survived to maturity.) We must never forget, and I'm sure Susanna realized this, that raising children ...

One astute observer said, "Christianity is the land of new beginnings." How very true this is. Each new day holds out a promise of new beginnings to us, if we will avail ourselves of the opportunities that are before us. The trouble is that we sometimes get stuck in the routines and ruts of our lives instead of being proactive about starting over. Each new day gives us the opportunity to make a choice to pursue healthy new beginnings, to start over again, to refresh our perspective, to ...

Forgiving those who have wronged us can truly be a very challenging experience, yet it is required of us, as we see in the Lord's Prayer and the Sermon on the Mount. Max Lucado shares the story of some Moravian missionaries who went to the Eskimos to tell them about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The missionaries struggled to find a word in their language that would express the concept of forgiveness. They finally selected the twenty-four-letter word that forms the title for this article: ...

Happiness Is a Warm Puppy is a delightful book written by Peanuts' creator Charles M. Schulz. I am quite certain that I know what the title means now that Peggy and I have two puppies! There really is nothing quite like having a puppy on your lap. It does bring happiness and peace to the soul. Our two puppies are Gizmo, a six-month-old Shih Tzu, and Cubby, a cross between a Yorkshire terrier and a dachshund. That makes this two-month-old fellow a Dorky! They are both cute and friendly puppies ...

Do you know who Theodor Geisel is? He is better known as Dr. Seuss, a prolific and wonderful author of children's literature. I thought I would use this newsletter to share some of his wisdom with you. For example, he said, "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You." God created us to be unique and special individuals. The Bible says, "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth ...

Yes, God is real. Since I became a believer at the age of thirteen I've never really doubted His existence. Two main things have always helped me to know that He is real. The first is that Jesus came into my heart. No experience has ever compared to that thrilling moment when I asked Jesus to come into my heart. He did so, and everything changed! His joy flooded my entire being. To me, this is proof that God exists. "You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart." A second ...

A Puritan preacher named Jeremiah Burroughs wrote, "Contentment is not by addition but by subtraction: seeking to add a thing will not bring contentment. Instead, subtracting from your desires until you are satisfied only with Christ brings contentment." This goes along with what Paul wrote to Timothy: "Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we ...

In my garden yesterday I saw the most beautiful snake I've ever seen, only to discover that it was the very venomous coral snake, which is a member of the cobra family. I watched it slither back into the leaves in the nearby woods. Florida is known for its poisonous snakes and other reptiles. In fact, at a nearby rest area off of Interstate 75 this sign is posted: "Watch Out for Venomous Snakes." A good warning, indeed. It's interesting to me that the coral snake is so beautiful and ...

As an editor and a former professor of linguistics, I enjoy looking at the peculiarities and inconsistencies of the English language. For example, we park in a driveway and we drive on a parkway! Did you know that when people say, "I could care less," they are actually saying that they do care? The correct expression would be, "I could not care less." If you could care less, you do possess some degree of caring. Then there are oxymorons, such as "jumbo shrimp" and "Christian humanism," a ...

The Bible says, "And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end" (Ecclesiastes 12:12). This is a very true statement. As a publisher, I see the need to adapt to the changing environment, particularly when it comes to the "ebook revolution." However, I am happy to report that the reports of the death of the printed book are greatly exaggerated. Nearly half of all readers (avid book-buyers) report that they refuse to go paperless. (From "Book Business" ...

When I was Executive Editor of Logos International Fellowship in Plainfield, NJ, our Publisher, Dan Malachuk, worked together with Catholic Charismatics (the People of Hope, in particular) to host a huge gathering at Giants' Stadium in the Meadowlands. It was called "Jesus '78--a Day in May at the Meadowlands." Over 58,000 people from more than sixty Christian denominations attended the event, which was televised. It truly was a memorable gathering. It was a time of great worship, as speakers ...

Two evenings ago our precious dog, Itsy Mae, was hit and killed by a car driven by one of our neighbors. We will miss her very deeply. Itsy taught us many things. For one, she was totally devoted to my wife, Peggy, whom she always wanted to be with. She would look up at Peggy with such devotion and admiration that love just seemed to radiate from her eyes. Anytime Peggy was away from home, Itsy laid on top of the couch, looking out the window, waiting for her return. Such loyalty and ...

The Amplified Bible defines the word Selah as "pause, and calmly think of that!" This phrase is a key to understanding the concept of Bible meditation, which is an enriching process for every believer to engage in. It leads to happiness of soul and deep, inner peace. There are two primary Hebrew words for meditation that are used in the Bible: 1. Hagah--to mutter, to bow down, to muse, to murmur, to converse with oneself (usually aloud), to speak, to babble, to communicate, to groan, and to ...

The year was 1967. I was an undergraduate student at Glassboro State College in Glassboro, NJ, at that time. Glassboro is a little hamlet in Southern New Jersey. I was a history major and was planning to teach. The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union appeared to be thawing a bit, for President Lyndon Baines Johnson and Premier Andrei Kosygin agreed to have a meeting. Kosygin was in New York at the United Nations and Johnson was in Washington, DC. Diplomacy dictated that ...

During the last week of my stint with the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War I decided to go to the Abbey of Gethsemani near Bardstown, Kentucky, for a week of reflection and seeking God's will. The abbey is maintained by the Trappists, one of the strictest orders within Roman Catholicism. It was a wonderful retreat that I will always remember. At that time (the mid-sixties) each Trappist monk took a vow of silence, which means they hardly ever spoke at all. In fact, they had a 200-word sign ...

Charles John Huffam Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, in Portsmouth, England. The last time I was in the United Kingdom I had the privilege of visiting both his birthplace and his burial place (Poets' Corner, Westminster Abbey). He is considered by many to be the greatest novelist of the Victorian Era. He wrote, "It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself." His A Christmas Carol, while not having an overt Christian ...

Thomas More was a remarkable individual who wrote many books and was devoted to the spiritual life. In fact, he would set aside one day per week for prayer and meditation. His most famous literary work is Utopia. When King Henry VIII decided to divorce Catherine of Aragon, More told him that he could not support that decision. Then, when the king named himself to be the Head of the church, Thomas More refused to support him in that role. Therefore, King Henry had More put in prison. He was ...

There is a sense in which the title applies to each of us, for God has taken us out of the kingdom of darkness and has brought us into His marvelous kingdom of love. It is particularly true of Joshua Milton Blahyi, however. I just learned about him by watching a documentary on television two nights ago. Joshua is well-known in Liberia as "General Butt Naked." He was a former leader for the Liberian warlord Roosevelt Johnson during the first Liberian Civil War.. Joshua was a very fierce and ...

The gift of speech is precious. Linguists tell us that this gift is what distinguishes us from other animals. Did you know that you have a unique idiolect?* In fact, your voice print (as measured by a spectrograph) is as unique as your fingerprint. No one has an idiolect that is exactly like yours.Someone said that we can be hung by our tongue, and how true this is. It is equally true that we can be stung by our tongue! The tongue can be either a vicious weapon or a soothing medication. It all ...

Prior to Christmas, 2011, I heard about people who had discovered a new and unique way to bless others, to "pay it forward," as was suggested by a movie not long ago. These people would go into Wal-marts, K-marts, and other stores and proceed to the layaway departments and ask, "Does anyone have toys on layaway here?" They would then pay the amount of money the toys cost as anonymous donations to children and families they did not know. I heard of a man in nearby Gainesville, for example, who ...

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, holds the title of "Defender of the Faith." She will be celebrating her Diamond Jubilee in 2012. She has taken her responsibilities very seriously during her nearly sixty years of rule. Early in December, 2011, before Prince Philip went into the hospital for heart surgery, she gave her Christmas message for 2011. I was very impressed by what she said. Clearly, she is a defender of the faith that was once delivered unto the saints, for she said, "Finding hope ...

Happy New Year! The year 2012 promises to be an interesting one in light of the fact that it is the year of the Olympic Games in London, U.S. political party conventions, and the U.S. Presidential Election.Last year I researched the upcoming year and wrote a book entitled, 2012, Is This the End? As I gathered information, I discovered some pretty interesting prophecies concerning this significant year.One modern-day prophet, John Paul Jackson, for example, warns, "Beware the woes of 2012."The ...

My wife, Peggy, and I were blessed to have five sons. Among them were two sets of twins. We now have nineteen precious grandchildren, as well. It is such a joy to be with each of them and all of them. Most of our family members live in the PA-NJ area, so we miss them very much now that we live in Florida, and we get to see them usually only a couple of times a year. It seems that we miss them even more during the Christmas season. Our hearts are filled with treasured memories of our family ...

I really appreciate The Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. "Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will; that I may be reasonably happy in this life and ...

Ancient Greek mythology frequently showed how heroes wrestled with "tragic flaws" that frequently brought them down. This human condition is known as "hamartia," another word for sin that includes accidental wrongdoing as well as intentional and deliberate errors. Achilles, for example, had great wrath that caused him to make bad decisions. Oedipus, on the other hand, unwittingly killed his own father. Several Bible characters had tragic flaws as well. Among them, we have David and Samson ...

Thanksgiving Day is rapidly approaching. It is a time to count our blessings, to realize all the good things that surround us, and to keep our focus on our faithful heavenly Father. It is my favorite holiday because it emphasizes many of the good things of life--faith, family, friends, blessings, and gratitude. Are you thankful today? The blind evangelist Ralph Montanus would always open his radio show with the hymn "Count Your Blessings," which goes like this: Count your blessings, name ...

It's interesting to see the Occupy Wall Street phenomenon that is taking place all over the world. It is reminiscent of the sixties when one of the bywords was "Question authority." Many people wonder what these folks of various backgrounds are actually protesting. It would appear that the biggest target is one of the Seven Deadly Sins--greed. Placards proclaim, "We're the 99%," which would indicate that the remaining one percent of the population is extremely rich. The rest of us, they ...

"There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole...." God wants us to live in wholeness in every area of our lives. He is the Balm in Gilead and the Great Physician of our souls and bodies. Several of the books we publish through Bridge-Logos Foundation deal with the important topic of healing. These include books by Kathryn Kuhlman, Canon Jim Glennon, Charles S. Price, Freeda Bowers, and John G. Lake. More recently, however, we have published two very comprehensie books on the topic of ...

People will sometimes ask, "Why am I here?" or "What is my purpose?" or "What is the purpose of life?" The Westminster Shorter Catechism of 1647 gives a clear answer to these questions: "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever." It is an awareness of God's nature that enables us to enjoy Him and worship Him. Peter Abelard wrote, "Since His goodenss is so great, His will so perfect, that He does what ought to be done, not unwillingly, but spontaneously, He is so much the ...

There are at least three things that God cannot do: 1. Lie 2. Change 3. Fail When we consider these three things that God cannot do, we conclude that God speaks only the truth, He is unchangealbe, and He can do all things. God is the truth, and His Word is truth. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). We must remember this and understand that Satan is the father of lies, the accuser of the brethren, and the great deceiver. ...

Moses Stuart wrote, "Christians are placed in a condition of which grace is the prominent feature: grace to sanctify as well as grace to renew the heart; grace to purify the evil affections; grace to forgive offenses though often repeated, and thus to save from despair, and to excite to new efforts of obedience. Viewed in this light, there is abundant reason for asserting that Christians, under a system of grace, will much more effectually throw off the dominion of sin than they would do if ...

Why should we look unto Jesus? He is the Author and Finisher of our faith, and He is the Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith. (See Hebrews 12:2.) "Looking unto Jesus" is a simple, three-word phrase, and yet it contains the answer we are all seeking--the whole secret of life. Art Katz was a young Jewish atheist who was hitchiking in Germany during the sixties. One of the men who picked him up listened to the youth complaining about conditions in the world. The man simply said, "You know, all ...

A new title that we have just released is Unsettled--Life Beyond the Yellow Ragged Couch by Piet Kok Van Waarde. This is a very timely book because we are living in such unsettled times--times of international economic recession (Greece's economy, for example, is on the verge of collapse), high unemployment rates, tensions between nations (particularly in the Middle East), mortgage foreclosures, rising rates of suicide and murder, bankruptcies, natural disasters of unprecedented proportions, ...

The subtitle of one of our new Bridge-Logos books - The Jesus Book by Michael Koulianos - states, "Fall Recklessly in Love With Jesus." (Michael is an evangelist and the son-in-law of Benny Hinn.)He writes, "As long as the Lord is in your boat, the storm can't harm you. Keep your eyes on Him. Make Christ your prized possesssion. Do nothing but love Him because nothing else is needed. When you are confused and hurt, just love Him."When worry comes your way, just love Him. "When your world seems ...

Nehemiah wrote, "The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10).The author of two of our Pure Gold Classics, A.W. Tozer, wrote these stirring words about joy: "George Mueller would not preach until his heart was happy in the grace of God; Jan Ruysbroeck would not write while his feelings were low, but would retire to a quiet place and wait on God till he felt the spirit of inspiration. It is well known that the elevated spirits of a group of Moravians convinced John Wesley of the reality ...

One of our Pure Gold Classics is The Confessions of St. Augustine. He said many profound things, as demonstrated by the following quote:"Too late have I loved You, O Beauty so ancient and so new, too late have I loved You! Behold, You were within me, while I was outside: it was there that I sought You, and a deformed creature, rushed headlong upon these things of beauty which You have made. You were with me, but I was not with You. They kept me far from You, those fair things which, if they ...

The Scripture says, "Godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Timothy 6:6). I believe this with all my heart.George MacDonald put it this way, "I am content to be and have what in Thy heart I am meant to be and have" (From Diary of an Old Soul)."From the greatest of all gifts, salvation in Christ, to the material blessings of any ordinary day (hot water, a pair of lets that work, a cup of coffee, a job to do and strength to do it), every good gift comes down from the Father of Lights. Every ...

A few years ago, I edited one of our Pure Gold Classics—Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross. It was a most interesting project from which I learned a great deal.St. John wrote, "Keep your heart in peace; let nothing in this world disturb it: all things have an end."In all circumstances, however hard they may be, we should rejoice, rather than be cast down, that we may not lose the greatest good, the peace and tranquility of our souls."If the whole world and all that is in it ...

In his book The Imitation of Christ, Thomas a Kempis, wrote, "Love is a great and good thing, and alone makes heavy burdens light and bears in equal balance things pleasing and displeasing. Love bears a heavy burden and does not feel it, and love makes bitter things tasteful and sweet. The noble love of Jesus perfectly imprinted in man's soul makes a man do great things, and stirs him always to desire perfection and to grow more and more in grace and goodness."Love knows no measure, but is ...

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "One of the illusions of life is that the present hour is not the critical, decisive hour. Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. No man has learned anything rightly, until he knows that every day is Doomsday."I used to listen to Harold Camping on Family Radio almost every evening. He was known as the Bible answer man, and he did, indeed, have many answers to intriguing questions. However, we now know that he did not have the right answer ...

How do you handle sources of irritation in your life? Sometimes they come from situations in life; at other times they come from other people, and I guess they even come from ourselves sometimes.What do you do when a person "gets under your skin" The Bible says we are to forgive, but forgiveness sometimes is not that easy.It begins with a choice. To choose to forgive another is to follow God's will. Paul J. Meyer in his excellent book, Forgiveness--the Ultimate Miracle, writes, "To forgive ...

Doesn't it seem as if sin is abounding more and more? The media presents sin to us as if it is a form of entertainment.Paul wrote, "Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound" (Romans 5:20). I thank God for His grace. Without God's grace and favor in our lives, where would we be?Ancient Greek tragedies presented to us heroes with fatal flaws. Wrath, lust, greed, and other sins caused many heroes to fall. It is still happening today, and that's why people need to learn to experience God's ...

Time is an interesting phenomenon. Carl Sandburg wrote, "Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you."It is now Friday. As I look back upon this week, I am forced to ask myself, "Did I spend my time well?" Since all we have is the present moment, we must make every effort to capture it and life it to the full. To enjoy each present moment is to spend the coin of time ...

Both Osama bin Ladin and David Wilkerson died this past week. Their lives are a study in contrasts.One man was weak; the other man was strong.One man was evil; the other man was righteous.One man killed people; the other man helped people find life.One man was a Muslim; the other man was a Christian.One man was full of hate; the other man was full of love.One man was in hiding; the other man was always in the open.One man was proud; the other man was humble.One man condemned others; the other ...

It's threatening to storm here in northern Florida this afternoon, but we know the sun is shining above the clouds. The same thing is true when we go through the storms of life, which vary in their intensity and kind--God's love still shines; He is the light in utter darkness. Charlotte Gray wrote, "Disasters sweep the world—war and disease, earthquake and flood and fire--but always in their wake come acts of courage and concern that astound the human heart. Light in utter ...

Nature, God's Word, prayer, and Christian fellowship help me to know that there is a God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth. There are two experiences, though, more than anything else, that help me to know beyond all doubt that God does indeed exist. Those two experiences are:1. I received Christ as my Savior when I was a boy. When Jesus came into my heart my whole world and my outlook on life completely changed. It was an experience like no other. That day I knew that I knew that God exists.2. ...

As you know, Passover begins at sundown on Monday, April 18. It is a time of celebration that commemorates the deliverance of the ancient Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. You can read about it in Exodus 12.The Lord said, "For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord."And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and ...

For a few years I was a Mason. In fact, I was the chaplain of my lodge. I enjoyed meeting the men of the fraternity and was intrigued by the rituals and rites we conducted.I went on to become a 32nd degree Mason and a Shriner.However, my eyes were opened when I began to contemplate the fact that I could not pray in Jesus' name. Eventually, I renounced my involvement with Freemasonry, because I realized it is rooted in the occult, not in Christianity. Recently we published a book entitled, 33 ...