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To focus on faith in God is not to deny reality, but to see life in the fullness of God’s reality. Focus brings clear perspective. What captures and holds your attention will ultimately control the direction of your life. Abraham believed in a God who would “speak of those things that are not, as though they are” (Romans 4:17). Abraham did not deny reality. He did not speak of things that are, as though they are not. He spoke of what God can do—the things that are not…yet. Focus on the possibilities. Focus on the future. Focus on what could...

In the northeast corner of South Africa sits Kruger National Park — thousands of square miles of wild country, filled with elephants, lions, rhinos, and the raw power of God's creation. In the 80's, Kruger had done such a great job of restoring the at-risk elephant population, they had too many. So, conservationists moved dozens of younger elephants to Pilanesberg National Park. It looked like a good solution. A decade later, rangers began finding dead rhinos. At first, they suspected poachers. But the rhino horns were still there. These animals had not been hunted. They had been violently attacked. Then...

The Juneteenth Day of Remembrance is a time to reflect on the power of freedom, not only in our nation's history but also in our personal lives as followers of Christ. The story of Juneteenth, which commemorates the final act of freeing slaves in America on June 19, 1865, reminds us that true freedom is a journey, not just a destination. On that date, almost two years after the end of the Civil War, Major General Granger read General Order 3 at Galveston, finally ending slavery. What began the recent move to make it a U.S. federal holiday began with...

Across the table, a discouraged dad recounted failure after failure. His sons needed correction; they balked at his response. He got upset, and they rebelled. On and on in a downward spiral - for years. Finally, I just said, “Where are your sons today?” He launched into a story of how they grew up, disconnected from him, and stopped all communication. He hadn’t talked to them in years. “They don’t want to talk to me,” he said. "But, I have been texting them sermons, scriptures, articles on repentance, sayings to hopefully wake them up." “Fathering comes down to one basic...

In today’s chaotic world, there is a constant found in every nation: fatherlessness. Fatherhood doesn’t “just happen.” It’s learned and passed on. Your private decisions will become the next generation's public destiny. In the devotional, A Man’s Guide to a Maximized Life, my dad, Ed Cole, wrote of the nobility of fatherhood. It is our responsibility as Christian men, our privilege, to raise a generation of young warriors who are not bankrupt in the basics of life. One thing is certain: they will pass on to the next generation the principles they learn from us. Let’s train, mentor, and disciple....