Last week, this article defined an influencer as “someone who affects or changes the way that people behave.” In addition, an influencer can persuade others by…their credibility, authenticity, reach, and trustworthiness.  Christians are charged to be influential in a world that is in desperate need of a positive and godly influence. Pointing to the manner in which Christians are to be influential through their peculiarity, or distinctiveness, Jesus charged His followers to be “salt and light” (Matthew 5:13-14). Read more…

      Social media continues to grow in popularity and use as a strategy employed by companies to advertise their products or services while also seeking to increase public awareness of their brand and the accompanying advantages that may distinguish one company/product from another.  This tech-savvy advertising strategy is known as “Influencer Marketing” and, from my limited understanding, seeks to reach prospective customers by enlisting regular people who have a network of friends or “followers” across the spectrum of social media platforms (Instagram, Twitter, blogs, etc.). Read more…

      In his book “The Window Sill of Heaven,” J. Winston Pearce related how S. D. Gordon (author of the Quiet Talks series of books) took long walks each morning and evening. Gordon had a habit of extending one arm out from his body as he walked along. When he turned to head back to his starting point, Gordon would lower his extended arm but simultaneously extend the other arm away from his body. An individual who observed Gordon’s routine for several days finally asked the author and lecturer for an explanation. Since he probably felt that his actions should not be considered out of the ordinary, Gordon was somewhat surprised at the question. Read more…

      A news story from New York City went viral recently. Similar stories were presented in Texas several weeks ago. The New York story featured a visual of a squirrel outstretched fully on the ground and included the question “Is this squirrel OK?” Representatives from the NYC Parks Department assured the public that squirrels observed in such a position are fine. In fact, NYC Parks indicated, squirrels stretched out in such a fashion are simply “splooting.” Read more…

      Sir Francis Newport lived in England in the late 16^th and early 17^th centuries where he purportedly was the head of an atheist club. To those who gathered around his deathbed, Newport is reported as saying, “You need not tell me there is no God for I know there is one and that I am in His angry presence! You need not tell me there is no hell, for I already feel my soul slipping into its fires! Wretches, cease your idle talk about there being hope for me! I know I am lost forever!” Read more…

      Actor Charles Dutton played the role of Baltimore garbage collector Charles “Roc” Emerson in the Fox network dramatic comedy entitled simply “Roc.” The show aired for three seasons in the early 1990s. While I did not watch this particular program on television, I do recall one scene that appeared on my TV screen while I was in the midst of channel-surfing. If my memory serves me correctly, Roc burst through a door at his house and declared something like “Well, I’ll be damned and go to hell.” Through his statement, Roc seemingly was announcing a self-prescribed rendezvous with Hell. Read more…

      Earlier this year, Scott Simon of National Public Radio conducted an interview with George Kourounis regarding Kourounis’ visit to the “Gates of Hell” crater in Turkmenistan that has been burning continuously for five decades being fueled by methane gas leaking from a natural gas field. Kourounis is a photographer and explorer in residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society who provided some highlights of his experience in “hell” during this recent interview with Simon. Read more…

      While leading prayer meeting one Wednesday evening years ago, one of the many faithful ladies in the church raised a question in this manner “Preacher, why do preachers not preach about hell much anymore?” Being a young pastor and serving in my first church, I probably was not in the best position to answer her question. Nonetheless, her question caused me to pause to consider several truths about Hell. To this end, the current and subsequent editions of “From Daniel’s Den” will explore several aspects of Hell beginning with the Reality of Hell. Read more…

      My wife and I purchased our first house about 35 years ago. We were excited about the prospects of home ownership and had been looking at available houses for quite a while. Some considerations included location, cost, and functionality. Newer homes in up-and-coming neighborhoods were smaller and more expensive than older homes in more-established neighborhoods. Read more…