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I had to learn the hard way. When I went to the Philippines as a missionary educator, I was fresh out of graduate study. I was eager to share my biblical and theological knowledge with my Asian students who were preparing for ministry. But I soon discovered some of the "answers" I gave them didn't…

I had the special opportunity to participate with members of my church in a Work and Witness trip to Kisvarda, Hungary. This was my first trip to Eastern Europe and it was overwhelming to meet brothers and sisters in Christ who are working to help a nation with such a rich heritage in both Catholic…

Young adulthood has changed. No longer have most graduating college seniors successfully negotiated the journey of identity formation, knowing who they are and what they want to do for the rest of their lives. At the same time, college-aged (18-25) people are more removed from "adulthood" than…

No two people witness events in the same light. Ask any police officer about accident reports—five witnesses will tell five different versions of the same event. The five groups of Palm Sunday witnesses 2,000 years ago had different perceptions when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey. The whole…

My dog loves to play fetch. She will go get whatever you throw for her—balls, sticks, ropes, just about anything! She loves to run and retrieve these things and bring them back to me, but then she does this very human thing—something we often try to do with God—she plays tug-of-war with whatever it…

Irving "Doc" Laird and his wife, Beverly, reside in Nampa, Idaho, near Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) where he taught religious education and special ministries for 30 years. Known for his example of servant leadership, Laird enhanced his teaching for 17 years by inviting about a dozen…

One Sunday afternoon many years ago, my wife and I asked our sons what they learned in Sunday School. With great animation they recited what their teacher had humorously said during Sunday School: “Dude, man, you got to have faith!” That has become one of our favorite sayings. Faith. It is…

Raised as a Jehovah's Witness, I ran from this religion when I went to college in 1969. I became a hippie, experimenting with everything—alcohol, drugs, and sex. Then in 1979, I gave my heart to Jesus. I was so excited I told everyone how He had changed my life and could change theirs. I started…

Society has shifted and changed to accommodate the size and preferences of each generation in its own time. What changes are on the horizon as the baby boomers grow older and, along with other generations, exert their influence? If the changes that have taken place thus far are the equivalent of…

I take the Bible seriously. I grew up in a Christian home, was on Bible quiz teams, majored in biblical literature in college, eventually got a PhD in the New Testament, and now I teach the Bible to college students. You might say that my whole life has revolved around the Bible. I care about what…