Well, today is the first day of the rest of your life, right? Let's invest the remainder wisely.

If you are reading these words, know this, we have already been, and will continue to be praying for you, our readers. No hollow promises or lip service. No good intentions unfulfilled. You can absolutely count on it.

Now let's talk about what I want you to consider right this minute. But do me a favor, in the busyness of your day, please find a way to engage your heart, otherwise, with your mind alone, you will miss what I am saying - guaranteed. Reading this would then just be another mental exercise, part of the blur of another seemingly average day filled with too much information. Hearts engage! read more

I must admit: I was reluctant to publicly share my views on President Obama's recent same-sex marriage statement. His presidency has caused separation within the ranks of African-American leadership too often.

And yet, what does an African-American pastor do when his African-American president makes a decision that eventually will destroy the foundation of not only the African-American community, but the nation as a whole?

Does that pastor take a risk that he will be misunderstood and labeled as an "Uncle Tom," a Republican Party pawn, or someone "the white man has bought out?" If I do not take the risk, knowing that mentality in itself is as discriminatory as it gets, I become a co-conspirator in keeping us in bondage to our culture; suggesting that none of us is free to think or speak outside of what we are told. read more

Although Valentine's Day is meant to celebrate love, it can bring bittersweet memories and pain.

For kids, Valentine's Day is a time to exchange funny cards and eat boxes of chocolate. For adults, it's often much more than just a time to send flowers and buy heart jewelry, chocolates and cards—it's a time to rededicate your love to one special person. But when you're a widow or widower, or have lost your love due to an unfortunate life circumstance, Cupid's arrow can pierce your heart in a very different way. What was once a holiday of "warm fuzzies" can turn into a sorrowful day to overcome.

It's true that Valentine's Day holds significance for most couples, but it was particularly special for my husband Gordon and me. After losing my father in February, the whole season had become fraught with painful memories. Then a young man with a lot of heart came into my life, and it just so happened that Valentine's Day was right after our first date. When I got home from work, Gordon had left a bouquet of pink carnations on my front porch. So, it became a yearly ritual for us to use Valentine's Day as the anniversary of our first date together. read more

Each December I urge my congregation to focus on the true meaning of Christmas. The worry my fellow pastors and I share is that the solemn message of Christ’s birth gets overshadowed by the commercialization, jingle bells, and Santa-fication of the yuletide season.

As we turn the calendar’s pages to yet another Memorial Day, I feel compelled to issue a similar challenge, one I offer not as a clergyman but as an American. Simply, let’s not lose focus about what this most solemn of national holidays should really be about. read more

With regret, my family was unable to attend the homecoming celebration of our dear friend, David Wilkerson. Due to my own personal sickness, Jeri and I and our family could not be present to pay tribute to this man who so radically changed our lives.

The story of Teen Challenge is the story of Steve and Jeri Hill. Christ was brought to us and nurtured in us through this ministry. It’s with tears in my eyes that I say, thank you brother Dave, for being there for us. read more

Everyone has heroes--or at least people they respect. David Wilkerson was one of mine, along with John the Baptist and a few others. So I was deeply saddened when my daughter called and said that he had been killed in a car accident. Of course there was the sweet knowledge that he was with the Lord, but there was also the bitter reality that we no longer had him here on earth.

His passing brought back a flood of memories. Back in 1980, I screened the movie that was based on his best-selling book, Cross and the Switchblade. It starred Erik Estrada (from the television series CHiPs) as Nicky Cruz, the hardened gang member who mocked the naive country preacher who had come to his rough neighborhood. read more

Stewardship is one of the well-worn words of Christendom.  The word evokes a lot of different thoughts, but I think most Christians get the essence of stewardship wrong. 

They believe that if you give God a bit of what you have, then you have been a good steward, and the rest is yours to do with as you please.  They equate stewardship with “tithing.” read more