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In a few days I’ll be 92. I would have never dreamed I would live this long. My wife, Ruth, passed away a little over three years ago, and a little bit of me died with her. I miss her more with each passing day. This was Ruth’s favorite time of year. She enjoyed watching the leaves turn and couldn’t wait to build a fire at the first hint of autumn. Always joyful, Ruth brightened up the darkest of days.

Since 1995 when South Africa initiated its Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the world has been abuzz with this new word “reconciliation” generally in the context of conflict resolution. According to wikipedia, 17 other countries including Canada have since initiated their own Truth and Reconciliation Commissions.

Deep in the villages of Henan, the “Pentecostal Province” of China, Christians had been waiting. When we arrived, the atmosphere was jubilant. The singing was victorious and their prayers fervent. The meetings were very long, and packed with older folks, women and children.

The man who owns the industrial valve company makes no secret of his religious faith: He’s a committed Christian. Once a week, he gathers together his senior staffers for prayer. Employees are invited to attend Bible studies on the premises and pray for one another’s needs.

Earlier this week, I told you that Stephen Hawking, the great scientist, believes that the universe and life itself can be explained without referring to God; that God is, in Hawking’s words, “unnecessary.”

Pastor Terry Jones’s thoughts about Islam are simple and direct. The title of his book says it all: Islam is of the Devil. The same thought is on a sign outside of his church, the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, and on the T-shirts and coffee mugs the church sells.

Work to so many people is simply a necessary evil. The goal in life is putting in enough time to retire and relax.

First, let me just say that to assert “Christianly” thoughts on the topics of Islam, Muslims, and the Ground-Zero mosque is by no means to suggest that this is the authoritative biblical view on these matters. Merely, mine is an earnest attempt to filter these subjects through the lens of a consciously Christian worldview in hopes of finding that way which may be most pleasing to God, both for myself and the church at large.

Those of us who grew up in the 1950s still look back with amazement at the cultural changes that have taken place during the 1960s and 1970s. And one of the leading proponents of those changes was none other than Playboy founder Hugh Hefner.

Deng Xiao Ping’s “One Country Two Systems,” to this day, is still being acclaimed by Beijing as a stroke of genius. Under that overriding policy, Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997. The process was peaceful, to say the least. Since then both sides are affecting and influencing each other – for good and for bad. And both sides have coexisted.

It was February, just after Chinese New Year and the temperature outside was freezing. Inside was the same because doors and windows were open to allow the overflow in the courtyard to be a part of the Sunday worship.

So you’re in leadership! Perhaps in a large corporation, your own business, or even going into ministry—serving God fulltime in the church or a Christian organization. If any of these scenarios apply to you, it’s important to clarify of the expectations Scripture lays out for you. Below are 10 terms the Bible applies to leadership and ministry.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, approximately 1.3 million Swedes emigrated to the United States. By 1910, one in every five Swedes lived in America.

Recently I spent a few days in Singapore with five key house church leaders of China. Two are from multi-generation Christian families. Two are first generation Christians. One is a Korean Chinese whose mother was a Bible woman in the revolution era.

I was leading a delegation of post-graduate students from China, mostly leaders of the urban house churches, to attend Dr. Jack Hayford’s Autumn Leadership Conference. Afterwards they undertook a one-week intensive research project to work on their doctorial dissertations. They are all registered with The King’s College and Seminary.

Pastor Cui Quan, of Shanghai, was probably the most targeted Christian leader of China in 2009. Early in the year, since hosting a group of urban house church leaders from different cities, he was visited by many government agencies of the city.

It was the basketball game for the ages. On Monday night, the Duke University Blue Devils survived a desperate, last-second shot by the underdog Butler University Bulldogs to win the NCAA men’s basketball championship.

Recently, a man in Pakistan’s Sindh province took a bath, met with his family, and then killed his three daughters and himself.

Can it really be just three months ago we gathered with loved ones to celebrate Christmas? What joy we felt as we celebrated the birth of the baby Jesus. Emmanuel. God with us.

I once met an emergency room doctor who worked with bloody and wounded people all the time. He became cynical and hardened after doing this night after night. He told me, "I knew I was missing something. I had no peace and I hated people." This was all before the doctor met Jesus Christ.

Over the years, I’ve discovered from Scripture and experience that God loves to answer our prayers. Here are five of his most frequent answers:

Heisman-winning quarterback Tim Tebow knows how to play offense. He also knows to expect opposition. Unfortunately, off the field, there’s no one to throw a flag when the other side plays rough.

This has been a great Christmas. Our son Wendell and his daughter Rebekah are about to arrive. And Emily and our grandson Max were just with us. As you may have heard me say before, Max, who is autistic, can be a handful. I marvel at Emily’s love for him and at the strength God has given her to be such a good mother. I am so proud of her, as I am of my sons Chris and Wendell, and their families.

Most people are familiar with the animals, the lion and the lamb. The lion is known as the king of the wild animals. It is large, powerful and ferocious. Its loud and deep roars can evoke tremendous fears in both human and animal alike. The lamb, on the other hand, is known for its gentle, soft and harmless nature. Therefore, the lamb is often portrayed as the victim of powerful animals such as the lion.

Last week, Patty and I attended a performance of a Living Christmas Tree at my church, the First Baptist Church of Naples, Florida. It was the best I’d ever seen. The performers did not simply offer music and a manger scene; they also brought out flags. One read: “The Great I AM”; another proclaimed “King of Kings.” Yet another said “Lord of Lords.”