Author: Jon Gauger

What’s urgent in your life? A spring yard project? A new diet? Setting up your will? There's nothing wrong with any of these. But there's everything wrong with people who call themselves Christ followers—yet don't follow Christ's urgency in reaching the lost. Jonathan Edwards declared, "Unconverted men walk over the pit of hell on a rotten covering." So—why aren't we more urgent about reaching out to our lost neighbors and friends? Why don't we sense that "rotten covering?" Six-year-old Sadie does. For some time, her family has prayed for an unsaved neighbor (call him "Sam"). Having built a friendship with…

  Unforgiveness. It might not be a real word, but it's a real attitude. And sometimes, we're all guilty of such twisted thinking. But unforgiveness is like drinking poison—and hoping someone else will die. Speaking of unforgiveness, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth has a favorite question she often asks of her audience when speaking. The question: “Are there one or more people in your life—past or present—that you’ve never forgiven?” Nancy recalls, "I have asked for a response from tens of thousands of people, including long-time believers, Bible study leaders, and vocational Christian workers….In virtually every case, somewhere between 80 and 95…

In the proud community where I live, there stands a not-so-proud diner. The greasiest of greasy spoons, its notoriety stems less from what’s served inside on its faded Formica countertops than what’s outside. The pot-holed parking lot has a sizable collection of vehicles going nowhere. Four Fed Ex trucks doze in the back corner. One has its hood tipped back, the boxy engine compartment exposed, as if imminent repairs are coming. They're not. Been that way for months. As you amble across the lot, you can't miss the ice cream truck adorned with images of tempting frozen treats. It hasn't…

Horror films are on the rise. A decade ago, horror movies represented just under six percent of American movies. Today, they make up 13 percent of our big-screen offerings. M3GAN, a movie about a murderous doll controlled by artificial intelligence, has now brought in more than 175 million dollars since its January 6 release. I was intrigued by a recent Wall Street Journal article announcing that movie studios plan to release—get this—29 more horror films by the end of 2023. Tension and shock are potent tools in storytelling of any kind. But celebrating gore and all things gruesome is different….

Too familiar. Is that us? So familiar with the Easter story that we don't really connect? We know the facts in our heads, but they don't penetrate our hearts. Like three-year-old Emma listening to her six-year-old sister Ava: AVA:         Easter is when Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Then they put him in the tomb for… EMMA:     (Interrupting)…forty days and forty nights (said with rolled eyes, as if exasperated from rehearsing the story yet again). AVA:         No, Emma. That’s Noah! Jesus was in the tomb for three days. EMMA:     (Still unimpressed) Yeah—three days. If…

When ten-year-old Caleb trotted in, his story tumbled out. He’d just returned from his weekly Bible club at church, which includes a game time. Judging by the look on his face, something unusual had happened—and Caleb’s siblings leaned in to hear the juicy details. "So, a boy got a scrape on his leg at game time. He got some blood on his new white shoes. He was so mad he said the 'H' and the 'D' words!" Incredulous, six-year-old Sadie responded, “Hot Diggity Dog?!” Ponder the purity of a six-year-old whose best shot at guessing the "H" and "D" words…

Bumped into an awkward Bible scene this week. In Luke 8, Jesus' mother and brothers decide to visit him. The problem is that the crowd inside the house is so dense it is squashing Him. When word is given to Jesus that His mother and brother are outside wishing to see Him, He replies, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” Was this moment awkward for Christ's family? Likely. But let's allow the total weight of His words to fall on us—which is what the Savior intended. Do I want to…

What if God filled out a monthly report card for each of us—and His sole grading criteria was how much we praised Him? Would He have plenty to comment on in your life? "Of course!" you answer. "Every Sunday, our church leads us in a powerful time of worship." Great! But what about when you're not at church? Do you praise God, then? How often? Under what circumstances?  Do we praise Him only when He provides the parking spot, the cure for our cold, or the raise for which we prayed? How likely is God to hear our praise when…

  Do you have a vision problem? If you're like me, you easily miss some of life's poignant moments. Example? I'm in Florida, walking around Ponte Vedra’s Bird Island Park. Think palm trees, tropical bushes, and exotic birds. These are what grab your immediate attention. The wood-planked walking path sweeping the pond at Bird Island offers soul-refreshing views, especially if you have just arrived from winter-weary Chicago as we have. Inevitably, your gaze fixes on the mirrored reflection of the gazebo in the water. The glassy upside-down image is so perfect you're confident that if you had a canvas and…

Few experiences define the word "dud," like a fishing trip without fish. Even more so when fishing is your livelihood. But that’s the predicament that Peter, James, and John were in on the shores of Galilee. You know the story in Luke 5. They'd been casting their nets all night, catching nothing but a growing sense of frustration. After borrowing Peter's boat and delivering a sermon to a shoreline crowd, Jesus asked Peter to row out into the deep, where He told him to let down the nets. This after zero success the night before. Give Peter credit for the…