Given the vital importance of the devotional life for the follower of Jesus, one would expect that the vast majority of believers would be experiencing exciting times with the Lord through His word. Yet this is simply not the case. Many would admit that their devotional times are not what they should be. I am personally satisfied that it is in the devotional times that we cultivate our relationship with Jesus and that it is this relationship that is the difference between just understanding the facts of Christianity and having a vital, dynamic relationship with the Lord of the universe and...

The parallels between an audience with a head of state and an audience with the King of the universe are innumerable; we have mentioned only a few. There are also many important contrasts. For example, we are invited into God's presence and, unlike a head of state, any time is convenient with the King of kings. Furthermore, as His child, you are extremely important to Him; no request is too small as to be trivial or too large as to be impossible for Him. How, then can this way of thinking about prayer and this book help you in making your prayer life more effective? There are several things...

A number of years ago, I became concerned over the number of young assistant professors who were not successfully navigating the tenure process. I saw a number of talented people who experienced what for an academic is major failure-yet was preventable. They were not approaching the tenure process in the right way, they did not have a good strategy for negotiating the process, they were misallocating their time and effort, and I thought perhaps some good fatherly advice from an older professor could be beneficial. When universities do offer seminars on how to make tenure, they really don't...