Recent Stories
JOE LAGUARDIA: Let God lead you out of the place of broken dreams
"Graveyard Shift: A Devotional in Three Acts"
JOE LAGUARDIA: Our search for God in the mundane makes life fulfilling
The Christian journey has its ups and downs, peaks and valleys.
JOE LAGUARDIA: There is much work left to be done in spreading the Gospel
This year marks the bicentennial anniversary of the commissioning of North America's first missionary, Adoniram Judson, and his wife, Abigail.
JOE LAGUARDIA: Time-tested tradition of Ash Wednesday reminds us we are human in need of God's grace
The other day I went into a local Christian bookstore and asked if they carried any children's trinkets for Ash Wednesday -- things like stickers and pencils and stuff.
JOE LAGUARDIA: When place blame, we deny forgiveness and the grief that leads to healing and hope
A wise pastor once told me to always have someone to blame. He told me that when I become pastor, always have a secretary to blame. Little did I know he told our secretary to always have a pastor to blame.. He was joking, of course. At least I think
JOE LAGUARDIA: Preachers should use the pulpit to deliver words of healing and hope, not harm
Some preachers put the "bully" in bully pulpit. All of us can tell at least one story of a preacher who said something that went over the line simply because he thought he could say almost anything from the pulpit.. In fact, the pulpit plays such a central role in
JOE LAGUARDIA: Jonah's story teaches us God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in love
My name is Jonah, but some people call me Jonah the Cranky. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I tell people that if they don't get right with God, I'll zap them with His wrath.Did I mention I'm a prophet? Been one my whole life. Once, in third grade
JOE LAGUARDIA: Consider 'flip-flopping' a Christian virtue, rather than a weakness
I'm still confused as to why "flip-flopping," or the act of changing one's mind, is such a big deal in American politics. First it was John Kerry in 2004 who was accused of changing his mind (you remember, "I was for the war before I was against it," and so on); now it's GOP front-runner Mitt Romney who's getting all of the accusations.
JOE LAGUARDIA: The divine encounter of communion points to eternal life, better days ahead
At worship on Sunday, during communion, I had a chance to reflect on the Great Recession and recent hardships facing Christ's Church in North America. The lousy economy, a growing atheist movement unashamedly spreading the non-gospel of unbelief, waning baptism and attendance records in churches, and weakening denominations confront Christians with various challenges.
JOE LAGUARDIA: 'Twilight' worth examining from a Christian perspective
One would think that by now the whole "Twilight: Breaking Dawn" movie hype would have died down. After all, the movie -- about vampires and werewolves and centering on a love story involving a girl named Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) -- was released nearly two months ago.