Author: lifecoach4God

I am the Lead Pastor of Marin Bible Church (Bay Area), born and raised in Huntington Beach, Ca., and currently living in Novato, California. I am married to my best friend of 32 years - Dana - and have five adult children; and eleven grand children. I have been a Teaching Pastor for over thirty years. I was privileged to study at Multnomah School of the Bible (B.S. - 1988); Talbot School of Theology (M.Div. - 1991); Westminster Theological Seminary & Northwest Graduate School (D. Min. - 2003). I founded Vertical Living Ministries in 2008 with the goal of encouraging Christian Disciples and Leaders to be more intentionally Christ-Centered in how they live by bringing glory to God in nine key areas of life: (1) Intimacy with God, (2) marriage, (3) family, (4) friendship, (5) vocationally/ministry , (6) emotional and physical health, (7) stewardship of resources, (8) discipleship, and (9) mentoring.

Vertical Christianity – Ep. 8: “Valuing Rest”

June 21, 2025 – Dr. David P. Craig, Founder, Vertical Living Ministries 

According to a Greek legend, in ancient Athens a man noticed the great storyteller Aesop playing childish games with some little boys. He laughed and jeered at Aesop, asking him why he wasted his time in such frivolous activity. Aesop responded by picking up a bow, loosening its string, and placing it on the ground. Then he said to the critical Athenian, “Now answer the riddle, if you can. Tell us what the unstrung bow implies.” The man looked at it for several moments ments but had no idea what point Aesop was trying to make. Aesop explained, “If you keep a bow always bent, it will break eventually; but if you let it go slack, it will be more fit for use when you want it.” People are also like that. That’s why we all need to take time to rest.

When you fly on a plane, one of the only instructions you get while taxiing before taking off is about putting the oxygen mask on yourself before helping your child on a plane; the point is that YOU ARE NO GOOD TO OTHERS UNLESS YOU ARE GOOD YOURSELF.

  • Augustine, “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you.’
  • Vance Havner, “Jesus knows we must come apart and rest awhile, or else we may just plain come apart.”
  • Eugene Peterson, “Sabbath is not primarily about us or how it benefits us; it is about God and how God forms us…I don’t see any way out of it; if we are going to live appropriately in the creation, we must keep the Sabbath.” ~ Working The Angles, p. 46.

MATTHEW 11:28-30, Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

IMPLEMENT A DAILY TIME TO R.E.S.T WITH GOD

Retreat – Get away for some time with God in silence and solitude.

Enjoy – Spend time enjoying God. According to the Rabbi’s the goal of the sabbath was to delight in God. 

Psalm 16:11, You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. 

Stop – Sabbath means to stop or cease. By detaching from what we normally engage in, we are reminded that God is God, and we are not. You may think you can’t break away from work for an extended period of time, but God will honor your rest. He was in control before you came on the scene and He will be in control long after you depart from the scene!

Talk – Devote time to conversing with God, but don’t speak the whole time. Sit and listen to God. Sitting and waiting on the Lord can teach us in ways that words can’t. Sit in God’s presence with no agenda. Notice His creation and enjoy His company. Implement a daily rest with Him: Retreat…Enjoy…Stop…Talk…

IMPLEMENT A WEEKLY TIME OF REST

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. ~ Exodus 20:8

  • God in resting from work on the seventh day wasn’t tired – He was modeling for us what our rhythm of life should look like.
  • Don’t think of the Sabbath as a specific day of the week—a Saturday or a Sunday—but as a season of time. A 24 hour period, free from the normal routine of work, devoted to being with God.
  • Peter Scazzero has stated that for most of us “our role has outpaced our soul.” Could it be that you are working for rest and not from rest? For many of us what we do for God is not sustained by our time with God. We need to learn how to work from rest, rather than to work for rest.

Ep. 7: “Valuing Time Management”

Vertical Christianity – Ep. 7: “Valuing Time Management”

June 14, 2025 – Dr. David P. Craig, Founder, Vertical Living Ministries 

Key Scripture:  Ephesians 5:15-17, Therefore look carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. On account of this, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 

Three Kinds of ways to understand God’s will:

  1. His Decretive, Sovereign or Hidden Will.
  2. His Will of Disposition.
  3. His Preceptive Will. 

The Center of God’s Will by Andrew Murray

First, He brought me here. It is by His will I am in this strait place.

In that fact I will rest.

Next, He will keep me here in His love and give me grace to behave as His child.

Then, He will make the trial a blessing, Teaching me the lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me a grace He means to bestow.

Last, in His good time He can bring me out again. 

How and when, He knows. 

So, Iet me say, I am here, By God’s appointment In His keeping, under His training, for His time.

Principles on Managing Your Time:

  1. Prioritize Time with God above everything else 
  • Jonathan Edwards, “We should not be time wasters; we should be time improvers, using our days for divine purpose.”
  • Martin Luther, “I preach as though Christ was crucified yesterday, rose from the dead today, and was coming back tomorrow.” (Change preach to “live” or “spend my time”)
  1. Prioritize the most important people in your life
  • “If you are planting for a year, plant grain. If you are planting for a decade, plant trees. If you are planting for a century, plantpeople.” ~ Old Chinese Proverb
  • Principle from the Life of Jesus, “More time spent with fewer people equals greater lasting impact for God.” 
  • John Wesley, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can.”

(3)  Prioritize the hardest things that need to be done over easy things

  • Edward Young, “Procrastination is the thief of time.”

(4)  Prioritize your health

  • Gary Thomas, “Whether you’re in your twenties, thirties, or forties – or facing your fifties, sixties, seventies, or beyond – one thing is certain: you’re doing it in a body, a body that not only contains a soul but affects your soul as well…so understanding my body as an instrument of service to God is giving me renewed motivation to take better care of it in the face of my cravings for laziness…Christians who don’t take their health seriously don’t take their mission seriously.” 

(5)  Prioritize matters that will last for eternity

  • John Charles Ryle, “What we weave in time we wear in eternity.”
  • Erwin W. Lutzer, “Only eternal values can give meaning to temporal ones. Time must be the servant of eternity.”
  • William James, “The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.”

(6) Learn to say “No” to things that really don’t matter in light of eternity 

  • Chuck Swindoll, “Our goal is not to find more time, but to use time more wisely.”

(7) Plan to Rest

  • Vance Havner, “Jesus knows we must come apart and rest awhile, or else we may just plain come apart.”

Recommended Resources on Managing Your Time

  • Tim Challies.Do More Better: A Practical Guide to Productivity.
  • Alan Fadling. An Unhurried Life: Following Jesus’ Rhythms of Work and Rest.
  • Matt Perman. What’s Best Next: How The Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done.

Ep. 6: “How To Develop A Vertical Life Plan” – Part 5 – “Valuing Work”

Vertical Christianity

June 7, 2025 – Dr. David P. Craig, Founder, Vertical Living Ministries 

Valuing Work: Key Scriptures

Genesis 2:15, Then Yahweh God took the man and set him in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.

Colossians 3:17 & 23-24, And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him…Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. Serve the Lord Christ.

Valuing Work Statement: There are two extremes that some people battle with work: Laziness and workaholism. Neither of these are good. We want to strike a balance of being the best workers we can be, but also knowing when its time to stop. Work is God’s invention and God’s expectation is that we should work hard and smart and get rest. He doesn’t want us to be lazy or over worked and be constantly stressed. God wants us, like in everything, to have a balanced work week.

Statements of How NOT to work:

  • Peter Drucker “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”
  • Tim Keller, “You cannot have a proper work theology unless you have a proper rest theology…To violate the rhythm of work and rest leads to chaos in our life and the world around us.” 
  • Lou Holtz, “Winners embrace hard work. They love the discipline of it, the tradeoff they’re making to win. Losers, on the other hand, see it as punishment. And that’s the difference.”

Statements of How To Work as a Christian:

  • Tim Keller, ““Work is as much a basic human need as food, beauty, rest, friendship, prayer, and sexuality; it is not simply medicine but food for our soul. Without meaningful work we sense significant inner loss and emptiness. People who are cut off from work because of physical or other reasons quickly discover how much they need work to thrive emotionally, physically, and spiritually…The way to do work as a Christian is to do it well.”
  • C.S. Lewis, “I don’t believe that good work is ever done in a hurry.”
  • Pele, “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love what you are doing and learning to do.”
  • John Owen, “God hath work to do in this world; and to desert it because of its difficulties and entanglements, is to cast off His authority. It is not enough that we be just, that we be righteous, and walk with God in holiness; but we must also serve our generation, as David did before he fell asleep. God hath a work to do; and not to help Him is to oppose Him.”
  • Dorothy Sayers wrote, “What is the Christian understanding of work?. . . It is that work is not, primarily, a thing one does to live, but the thing one lives to do. It is, or it should be, the full expression of the worker’s faculties . . . the medium in which he offers himself to God.” 
  • Roy Zuck, “There are four main bones in every organization: The wishbones: Wishing somebody would do something about the problem. The jawbones: Doing all the talking but very little else. The knucklebones: Those who knock everything. The backbones: Those who carry the brunt of the load and do most of the work.”

Aligning Your Work With Your Strengths:

No matter what you do there are going to be days you wish you did something else for a living. I love being a pastor most of the time because I get to operate primarily in my areas of passion and strengths and get to delegate my weaknesses – things that I can do – but that I’m not passionate about so I can devote more time to what I am passionate about. But those things still need to get done. It wasn’t until I was about forty years old that I recognized what I do best. Studies show that satisfied and effective workers need to spend about 70% of their time in their sweet spot – operating in their areas of greatest skills and passion in order to enjoy and be effective in their job.

In my Vertical Life Plan, since I am a pastor, I have a few particular areas where I write down my goals for each year and how I will achieve them. My particular strengths involve preaching & teaching, leadership development, discipleship and mentoring, and shepherding and counseling – so that’s where I spend over 70% of my time. You should also identify your 3-5 greatest strengths and set goals for how you will achieve effectiveness in your work by maximizing your strengths and seek to delegate your weaknesses to those who are strong in your areas of weakness.

In the past decade I have spent more time in these areas and I have never been more excited or more effective than I am in my current work situation. Because I know my strengths and weaknesses I am able to staff my work team in a way where everyone operates 70% of the time or more in their sweet spots. Whether you are a bread maker, car salesman, engineer or whatever it is you do for a living its important to figure out what your particular skills are – what you are good at and enjoy about your work; and what you are passionate about. Sometimes you have to pay your dues before you can make a living working at the 70% satisfaction standard. This should be a goal for you to find satisfaction in your work.

I hope that you are the best worker where you work for the glory of God. As Christians the vertical worker is the person that works hard, smart, efficiently, effectively, and has integrity. I hope that you see your work as unto the Lord and that those you work with know that you are a follower of Jesus – and as a result are attracted to Him because of your work ethic and how you make your work environment better for everyone – this was God’s intention in Eden and its the same today. God made work good and its still good when we work as unto the Lord and we are good stewards of what He has given us to do.

John Rushkin wrote, “When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.” Master chef Gordon Ramsey said, “If you want to become a great chef, you have to work with great chefs. And that’s exactly what I did.” I hope that you love what you do and that you are always seeking to improve in your work. One of the best things you can do to improve in your work is to strive to be the best at what you do. Be intentional and schedule how you will continue to learn and grow in 70% of what you do. Your work is significant and God made us to work. Read good books, get more education, and seek mentors to help you in areas of skill and character that will help you enjoy your work, and strive to do your best as unto Christ for the glory of God.

Three Great Resources on the subject of Work from a Christian Perspective:

  • Wayne Grudem. Business for the Glory of God: The Bible’s Teaching on the Moral Goodness of Business.
  • Tim Keller. Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work.
  • Patrick Morley. A Man’s Guide to Work: 12 Ways To Honor God On The Job.

Ep. 5: “How To Develop A Vertical Life Plan” – Part 4 – “Valuing Family”

Vertical Christianity

May 30, 2025 – Dr. David P. Craig, Founder, Vertical Living Ministries 

In our previous studies (Parts 1-3 of How To Develop A Vertical Life Plan) together we have looked at the importance of developing a Vertical Life Plan and have discussed the steps of writing out a life calling or purpose statement and then adding how you will implement the values of Christ into your own written life plan. We have already looked at how to put Christ first in your life by spending time with Him and prioritizing Him as first place in your daily schedule. For those of you who are married we also looked at putting your partner second to Jesus in being intentional in spending time with your spouse. Today we will look at value number three in terms of prioritizing who you spend your time with – your children.

I’ve noticed two equally dangerous behaviors in families: Neglect by the parents paying too little attention to our children and being too passive; or the opposite extreme: idolatry: making your children the most important thing in your life – even above and beyond our relationship with Jesus or our spouse. We want to strike a balance of being responsible in training our children to understand and live out the gospel; but we don’t own them – we want to prepare them to live out their individual callings from God – and release them into His guiding care. We want them to grow up and be mature — independent from us, and learn what it means to become satisfied in Jesus and depend on Him — as we are also dependent on Him, satisfied in Him, and living out our own calling in Christ. 

VALUE 3: MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY CHILDREN

KEY VERSES: Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one! “You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as phylacteries between your eyes. “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.  Ephesians 6:4,  …Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” 

VALUE EXPRESSED: I have been blessed with five children and eleven grand children. I must manage “first church” (my home) before I can manage the church. Therefore, I will devote myself to making disciples of my children as top priority over discipleship with anyone in the church. My children will always be with me, but people in the church will come and go. I must demonstrate this love for my children by my words and actions. I will fulfill my promises to my children and do all that I can to instill in them a passion for God and His bride—the Church.

VALUE LIVED OUT: Remember you DO what you SCHEDULE!

  1. Individual Connection – Devoting time each day to connect with, pray with, read with and encourage my children before I retire for bed.
  1. Monthly Connection – In order to make my children feel special and loved I will let each of them pick what they want to do once a month and then spend that time with them individually to grow trust, friendship, and model Christ to them in developing their God-centered worldview.
  1. Annual Vacation with the Family – Leave your work behind and focus solely on enjoying  your family away from the daily responsibilities of life. This is a time to live out Philippians 2:4 and place your families’ interests above your own.
  1. Day Off – A morning, afternoon, or evening set apart for family time. Play with, rest with and teach them the values and worldview of God-centered thinking and how it applies to all of life. Seek to live out the principles of Deuteronomy 6 in reference to instructing your children when you get up, lie down, walking, and whatever your doing.
  1. Discipleship – Use age appropriate Bibles; Books; and curriculum with your children. Some children are more intellectual and others are more hands on. Know your children and where they need knowledge, skills, and character development. The most important thing is to model God’s grace to them in the gospel in both your words and actions – there is no substitute for spending time with them and letting them know that God loves them and you love them.

Resources for The Family:

  • John MacArthur. The Fulfilled Family: God’s Design for Your Home.
  • Adrian Rogers.Ten Secrets for a Successful Family: A Perfect 10 for Homes that Win.

Resources for Parenting Young Children:

  • Ted and Margo Tripp. Instructing a Child’s Heart.
  • Ted Tripp. Shepherding a Child’s Heart.

Resources for Parenting Teens:

  • Paul David Tripp.Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens.
  • Melissa Kruger. Parenting With Hope: Raising Teens For Christ in a Secular Age.
  • Brett Kunkle and John Stonestreet. A Practical Guide to Culture: Helping the Next Generation Navigate Today’s World.

Resources for Discipling Children:

  • Sally Lloyd-Jones.The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name (ideal for ages 2-11).
  • Kevin DeYoung.The Biggest Story Bible Storybook: 104 Engaging Bible Stories for Ages 6–12, Illustrated by Don Clark.

Resources for Discipling Teens:

  • Robby Gallaty,.Foundations: New Testament – Teen Devotional: A 260-Day Bible Reading Plan for Busy Teens.
  • Josh McDowell. #truth: 365 Devotions for Teens Connecting Life and Faith.

Resources for Discipling College Students:

  • Michael J. Kruger.Surviving Religion 101: Letters to a Christian Student on Keeping the Faith in College.
  • Jonathan Morrow. Welcome to College: A Christ-Follower’s Guide for the Journey.

SOME HELPFUL QUOTES PERTAINING TO FAMILY:

  • “We should impress truth on the hearts of our children, not to control or manage them, but to point them to the greatest joy and happiness that they can experience—delighting in God and the goodness of his ways…The most effective way to teach our children to love the Scripture is to love it ourselves. They will see us longing to read it, hear it and understand it, and learn that it is valuable.” – Margy and Tedd Tripp
  • “Making disciples requires not only sharing our faith, but also sharing our lives—failures and successes, disobedience and obedience.” – Jonathan Dodson
  • “Love is making the other person great.” – J.I. Packer
  • “You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” ~ John Wooden
  • “No matter how attractive it may seem, your tiny little kingdom of one has no capacity whatsoever to satisfy your heart…Your hope is not found in people, places, situations or possessions, but in this one thing – your Redeemer lives and is with you always…Grace frees you to live horizontally what you’ve been given vertically. While others hope to get, you can celebrate what you’ve been given.” ~ Paul David Tripp

Vertical Christianity: Valuing Marriage


Ep. 4: “How To Develop A Vertical Life Plan” – Part 4 – “Valuing Marriage”


May 10, 2025 – Dr. David P. Craig, Founder, Vertical Living Ministries 


Review: In our developing a written Vertical Life Plan we have already looked at the first three steps: (1) Writing out your life Calling, Mission, or Vision statement. (2) Writing out key verses and quotes to remind you of why this vision statement is biblical and aligned with God’s purpose for your life. And (3A) we learned the importance of valuing what Jesus values from His life and teachings in the Gospels. Now we look at our next most important value in life if we are married. 


VALUE 2: MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY WIFE


KEY VERSES:


Ephesians 5:22-33,  Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her. So that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great, but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband. (LSB)


VALUE EXPRESSED:


I married Dana on April 4, 1992. On that day I vowed to love, cherish, honor, provide, protect, and be her spiritual leader as her covenant partner for life. No matter what life throws our way – sickness, trials, financial setbacks, conflicts, and all manner of suffering – we are committed to being covenant allies until death do us part. We made this covenant before God and over 500 witnesses. I am committed to living out these vows to the fullest. It is my desire to have a great marriage and one that is exemplary for my family, church and community. I believe that one of the greatest gifts I can give my five children and eleven grandchildren is to love their mother (“Grammie”) as Christ loves His bride—the Church. This love is unconditional, sacrificial, and never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8). I am wholeheartedly committed to show Dana by my words and actions that next to God she is the one person I love and value or treasure the most.


Quotes That Affirm How I Need to Value My Wife

  • “According to the Bible, God devised marriage to reflect His saving love for us in Christ, to refine our character, to create stable human community for the birth and maturation of children, and to accomplish all this by bringing the complementary sexes into an enduring whole-life union…The purpose of your marriage is to reenact the gospel.” – Tim Keller

  • “What we believe about God determines the quality of our marriage.” – Dave Harvey

  • “A happy marriage is the union of two forgivers.” (Ruth and Billy Graham were married 63 years before she went home to be with the Lord first) – Ruth Graham Bell

  • “Love is not maximum emotion. Love is maximum commitment.” – Sinclair Ferguson

  • “Marriage is a call to die [to self]… Christian marriage vows are the inception of a lifelong practice of death, of giving over not only all you have, but all you are. Is this a grim gallows call? Not at all! It is no more grim than dying to self and following Christ. In fact, those who lovingly die for their [spouses] are those who know the most joy, have the most fulfilling marriages, and experience the most love.” – R. Kent Hughes

  • “In marriage, the goal is holiness, not happiness. Happiness comes as a result of holiness.” – Erwin Lutzer

  • “Three Guidelines for Christian Marriage: (1) First of all, and foundational to a biblical understanding of marriage, is the truth that marriage is a permanent relationship. In Mark 10:6-8, Jesus said, ‘But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh.” And then in verse nine we read, “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.’” (2) A second biblical guideline is that marriage is a harmonious partnership. The Bible speaks of the union of the husband and wife as harmonious. Jesus said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Mark 10:7-9). ..I have never known of a broken marriage where the husband and wife had enjoyed a true partnership that had been harmonious and mutually sacrificial. But God established marriage to be just that, and His Word gives guidelines about how to keep harmony in the home…But there is a truth that is even greater than the truths that marriage is a permanent relationship and a harmonious partnership. (3) And that is the biblical teaching that marriage is a spiritual companionship. Christian marriage should be a companionship where each helps the other grow in Christ. The Bible tells us that in the marriage relationship, the husband and wife become one. It is my conviction that that speaks not only of physical union, but of a spiritual union as well.”  ~ George Sweeting

  • VALUING MARRIAGE PUT INTO ACTION:


    1. Daily Connections – Whether when we were first married and already had three kids at home; when we had five kids in the home, or even now as empty nesters we have always had a time or times throughout the day to connect together as husband and wife. This can involve playing a game of backgammon, sitting down face to face, praying together, sharing a meal together, reading scripture and discussing it, or going on a walk. It is a time to just commune together, laugh together, enjoy one another’s company and continue to learn from one another, about each other, and go deeper in our relationship.

    1. Weekly Taking Care of Business Date. Dana and I started doing this pretty early in our marriage because we had so much going on with kids school events and activities: sports, dance, plays, church activities, and work. With so many responsibilities we wanted to make sure we didn’t “double-book” ourselves – and strive for balance in the way we spent our time, and developed meaningful relationships with the Lord, one another, family, and loving others as Christ loves us.

    2. Weekly Fun Date. We live in a beautiful area Marin County – north of San Francisco that has a plethora of things to do, places to go, and amazing scenery and great places to eat. Two places we frequent regularly are Healdsburg and Sonoma – both a half an hour away. We look forward to just spending time together without all the responsibilities and distractions of our busy lives. We feel like these dates are rejuvenating mini-vacations that we cherish each week. It gives us something to look forward to and revives and rekindles our relationship. We have made these fun dates a priority from when we had little children and now into the stage of life where we can spend more time together. It has always been a highlight for us – and has contributed largely to what we would both describe as a key to having a great marriage.

    3. Yearly Renewal – Once or twice a year we plan a getaway to just rekindle our romance and grow in our relationship with Jesus and one another. We have been on various marriage retreats – like the Family Life conference “A Weekend to Remember.” We have been to numerous conferences. However, we have most enjoyed traveling to destinations and exploring together – just the two of us. We have been to New Zealand, Argentina, England, France, and explored cities all over the USA like Boston, Seattle, San Diego, San Antonio, and many other beautiful places in various parts of the country – and especially close to home in California. These times are like mini9-honeymoons that rekindle and rejuvenate our relationship because we have no other responsibilities or commitments to attend to, but can just enjoy one another fully.

    4. Marriage Reading – It’s really amazing that so few people prepare for marriage, and many do not continue to grow in the subject of marriage after marriage. A doctor will spend about a dozen years of schooling and interning to become a Doctor; Engineers, Lawyers, and many other students will spend years of education for their professions. Dana and I have always lived by the motto, “If you’re going to be married why not make it a great marriage.” This means that we are committed to learning and growing in our relationship and are constantly reading and listening to teaching on marriage. To truly value your marriage it means being a wife long student of the subject of marriage as well as of one another. Some of our favorite books on marriage that have helped us are Love and Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs by Emerson Eggerichs, His Needs, Her Needs: Making Romantic Love Last by Willard Harley, and The Intimate Marriage: A Practical Guide to Building a Great Marriage by R.C. Sproul. The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller.


    Do You Really Value Jesus?

    Vertical Christianity

    Ep. 3: “How To Develop A Vertical Life Plan” – Part 2 – “Values”

    May 3, 2025 – Dr. David P. Craig, Founder, Vertical Living Ministries 

    Today we are going to focus on Step Three of developing a written Vertical Life Plan. We have already looked at developing your mission or purpose statement in Step One. Step two was writing down Scriptures and quotes that inspire and motivate you to intentionally put your purpose statement or mission statement into action. Now we come to developing our specific plan of attack. Step Three is articulating your values and prioritizing them. 

    Let’s define what the word value means. Webster’s dictionary helps us with a few key definitions of the word value: (1) The regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something. Example: “I value you for helping me wash the dishes.” (2) The material or monetary worth of something. Example: “Cars seldom rise in value once you drive them off the lot.” (3) The the worth of something compared to the price paid or asked for it. Example: “At $5.99 the book is a good value.” (4) Values are a person’s principles or standards of behavior; one’s judgment of what is important in life. Example: “I value the ethics taught by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount and seek to live by them.”

    Where the rubber meets the road with the idea of what we value is whether or not we walk the talk. If we say we value something it should translate into what we think about, how we spend our time, money, habits, and skills.

    I golf once a week. Over the past thirty years I’ve played hundreds of rounds of golf. I’ve played with really bad golfers and really good ones. What’s the difference between a bad golfer and a good golfer. Honestly, it comes down to how much worth or value the golfer places on his golf game. Some golfers take it very seriously, some golfers are just out there to get out of the office and have a good time, and some golfers are like me – want to play well – have worked on their game somewhat – but thank God we don’t have to make a living and support our families playing golf!

    If you really value golf and want to be a good golfer – it means you have to spend time, money, and effort in intentionally developing and honing your mind and skills. Professional golfers have logged thousands of hours of practice on the range and playing in tournaments. They spend  a fortune on the best equipment, coaches, caddies,  nutritionists, and even therapists to help them with their golf game. You not only have to practice a lot, but you have to practice intentionally and correctly. Anyone can spend hours on the driving range hitting balls ad infinitum. But if you are topping one shot, slicing the next shot, chunking the following shot and so forth you may be spending a lot of time practicing – but not time well spent. Practice doesn’t make perfect but as the saying goes, “perfect practice makes perfect.” If you really value becoming a good golfer you have to practice putting, or chipping, or with your driver until you have a consistent outcome. This involves the mind, course management, having the right grip, knowing how far you hit with each club, good swing mechanics, and a host of other skills that must be sharpened in order to play good golf consistently.

    I realized a long time ago that if I really wanted to be a great golfer I needed to dedicate myself to the sport by spending lots of time and money. I don’t have the money or the time at this point in my life. And that’s probably a good thing – because I’d probably be spending more time on something that – since it’s not supporting my family and paying the bills – isn’t going to matter at all in eternity whether I shoot a 68 or an 88 in a round of golf. And other than me, nobody really cares about my score.

    Getting back to values. If my vision is Jesus and to be like Him – how do you get to know someone and be like them? You have to spend time with them. If I say I value Jesus above everything else in life – the proof of that is going to be in how much time I spend with Him. But also, just like in golf – it’s not how much time I spend with Him that matters its about whether or not I’m spending quality time with Him. Am I really getting to know Him and am I really becoming more like Him?

    Now we come to our great Vision – Jesus, and what we value most – knowing Him and becoming more like Him as a result: Step Three in your Vertical Life Plan:

    VALUE 1: MY RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS

    KEY VERSE: For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.To Him be the glory forever. – Romans 11:36 

    VALUE EXPRESSED: My top priority in life is to know and proclaim Christ above all other things. I will value the Father for making me (Psalm 139:14-15), designing a plan for my life (Jeremiah 29:11; Proverbs 3:5-6; Ephesians 2:10), and for His continual sustenance of my being (Acts 17:28). I will value Jesus for purchasing my life with His precious blood (1 John 1:7; 1 Peter 3:18), His perfect human example in holy living (Hebrews 4:15) and for praying for me (Hebrews 7:25) until He fulfills His promise to take me home (John 14:1-4). I value the Holy Spirit for convicting me of my sin (John 16:8), regenerating that which was spiritually dead (Titus 3:5) and making me alive for the purposes of proclaiming and reflecting the glory of the Triune God in all of life (Ephesians 1:13-14).

    VALUE TURNED INTO ACTION: (A Value that is inactive – is useless)

    1. Daily Transformation Time – Bible & Devotional reading, Journaling, and Prayer @ 5:00 a.m. every day. My primary goal is not primarily information gathering, but to grow in my relationship with God and others. The bible isn’t so much for the information it contains, but for the transformation of my brain and heart! Aside from Genesis, I am spending a lot of time in Isaiah, the Gospel of John, and Romans this year (I will be preaching from Romans and then Isaiah when I finish Genesis).
    • “Scripture is not man-centered as though salvation were the main theme, but it is God-centered because His glory is the center…The Bible teaches that salvation is not an end in itself but is rather a means to the end of glorifying God.” ~ Charles Ryrie
    1. Questions for Daily Self-Evaluation and Reflection: 
    1. Throughout the day: Am I becoming more loving and Christ-like? ((1 Corinthians 13:8, “Love never fails”)”;
    2. Throughout the day: Does God see His reflection of Himself in my life? (Galatians 5:22-23, The fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control);
    3. Tonight: God, did you see Yourself in me today?;
    4. Tomorrow Morning: God would, you allow me today to so live my life that you might see Yourself and thus be glorified in me?
    • “There is no way forward unless we are willing to be displeasing to ourselves. . . . In other words, we will not change unless we are dissatisfied with who we are. If we are not willing to examine ourselves, be honest, and admit our shortcomings even when it hurts, we will never be who God calls us to be.” ~ Mason King

    As I have been writing out these Vertical Life Plans for the past twenty plus years – all my values – which are based on what Jesus values – have become what I treasure most. My priorities are more in line with God’s will as I’m in His Word and intentionally applying it daily. Tim Keller says, “The idols of our hearts cannot be removed; they can only be replaced. Idolatry happens when we turn good things into ultimate things…If you uproot an idol in your life and fail to plant the love of Christ in its place, the idol will grow back.” If my thinking is consumed with what God values and I treasure Jesus more than anything else – idols tend to fade away.

    Paul’s words in Galatians 5:16, But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh, can take greater root in our minds and hearts when we create more space for Jesus to reign and rule in our lives. I know for you and me, the reality is our good intentions mean nothing without a vision of Christ at the center of all things, and a plan for Him to be the one main thing in our lives – we truly only value what we think about, spend our time on, spend our money on and invest in wholeheartedly. I hope you will implement in your own life what has helped me and hundreds of others – a Vertical Life Plan where you live out your calling and spend all of your God-given resources for Him, through Him, and to Him for His glory! 

    Your plan doesn’t have to be like my plan – I’ve been doing this for years. But I would encourage you to carve out some time daily to be in the Word, understand what you read; apply at least one thing and spend time in prayer with your Heavenly Father. I urge you to be more intentional – and the reality is – WE DO WHAT WE SCHEDULE – And writing our plans in our calendars is a great place to start. Until next time – enjoy your time with Jesus as you spend your days treasuring Him above all things.

    Vertical Christianity

    “How To Develop A Vertical Life Plan” – Part 1

    April 26, 2025 – Dr. David P. Craig, Founder, Vertical Living Ministries 

    I want to share with you about why its beneficial to have a written plan for your life. More specifically, why it’s important to develop what I call a Vertical Life Plan.

    Let me ask you an extremely important question. Do you believe that the Bible is about you or Jesus? If you think it’s about you – the Bible actually says the opposite. In Luke 24 Jesus appears to His disciples and repeats twice to them that everything in the Scriptures is about Him and points to Him. 

    An illustration I like to use in regard to this is that I like to see every aspect of thinking in terms of a triangle. I may have two views of something and if I have trouble deciding I simply ask which choice follows the teachings and modeling of Jesus. What leads to the central focal point at the pinnacle of the top of the triangle. Is the leaning of one side or the other going away from the central vertical point?

    Another illustration I like to think about is having a vision of something that drives my thinking, and plan of attack for being productive in living for that which will last for eternity. In it is the idea that is conveyed by the biblical prophets Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and the apostle Paul in the New Testament. They all encountered Theophanies or Christophanies – visual manifestations of God in Christ. 

    In my favorite book aside from the Bible, but based on the Bible – The Holiness of God, by R.C. Sproul – the author delves into the vision that Isaiah had of the pre incarnate Christ in Isaiah 6. Isaiah finds himself in a huge crises – the King of the nation for the past 52 years has died and he goes to the temple to grieve. According to the apostle John in the NT his vision is of Jesus. Moses, Ezekiel, and Paul also experience similar visions of God’s glory. When they have these visions of Jesus it radically changes their lives. They all write about their experiences with the glory of God and then they go on to live productive and effective lives by knowing God and applying the scriptures to their lives.

    I have been writing out what I call Vertical Life Plans every year for the past 26 years. Its sort of like the Captain of a ship having a map and compass in the wide open sea. How in the world can he know where he is and where he is going without these tools? How can he measure his progress if he doesn’t know where he is on the map or where he is going. Unfortunately, this is the way most people live. And, metaphorically they make little progress, because they don’t even know where they are, or where they are going.

    A Vertical life plan is an intentional written strategy where you map out in writing: why I’m here – this answers the question of meaning; what is most important in life – what I call your Vertical vision – making Jesus the central and highest priority in your life; you ask the question what does Jesus value and do I value what He values; and then how can I implement what He values in my own life? How can I practically spend my time in ways that eliminate the weeds and waste of my time so that I maximize living for that which prioritizes what Jesus prioritized and implement those values in my own life? Today we are going to just look at the first two steps in developing your Vertical Life Plan.

    Step One: In one to three sentences (a short paragraph) write out your life calling. Answer this question: What is your personal mission that you would like to accomplish with your life before you die?

    Example: David P. Craig’s Calling: “My purpose in life is to passionately pursue a relationship with God through a deep study of His Word and in the process be transformed by the Holy Spirit so that I bear the image of Jesus and thus glorify Him by reflecting Him to my wife, family, church, and community, thus bearing the fruit for which I was made a new creation – resulting in making multiplying disciples and leaders of my Lord and Savior – Jesus Christ.” ~ Vertical Life Plan, 2011

    Step Two: Come up with a life verse/s to write out and memorize to remind yourself regularly of your life’s calling (I recommend finding an OT and a NT verse and write them out under your Life’s calling.

    Examples from the Legacy Standard Bible: 

    Psalm 37:4, Delight yourself in Yahweh; And He will give you the desires of your heart.

    Proverbs 3:5-6,Trust in Yahweh with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 

    1 Timothy 4:16, Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

    Acts 20:24, But I do not make my life of any account nor dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.

    • I also recommend writing some of your favorite quotes or mottos here under Your Life Calling:

    Examples:

    • A.W. Tozer, “God will only use those with whom His glory is safe.”
    • John Piper, “God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him.”
    • David Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “Holiness is not something we are called upon to do in order that we may become something; it is something we are to do because of what we already are.”
    • F.F. Bruce, “The soul’s deepest thirst is for God Himself, who has made us so that we can never be satisfied without Him.”
    • Paul David Tripp, “Don’t be satisfied with anything less than what God’s powerful grace is able to produce in you and through you.” 
    • “We are called to live Coram Deo, defined as: before the presence of God, under the authority of God and to the glory of God.” ~ R. C. Sproul

    What do all these verses and quotes have in common? They reiterate the concept of the Verticality of life. However, they also help me to emphasize verticality in my horizontal relationships with people. They remind me that if my relationship with God is first and of the uttermost importance to me then I will also become more like Jesus as I spend time with Him. So in Part 2 of developing a Vertical Life Plan I’m going to talk about our top priority in life – in the next article we are going to look at how to write an intentional strategy to make our number one priority in life our relationship with Jesus. I’m going to help you to have a larger vision of Jesus than any other person in your life. The third step in the Vertical Life Plan is in how we can spend time with Jesus; what to do in that time with Him; and how to plan our time with Jesus so that we can make a vertical impact in our horizontal relationships in our sphere of influence.

    Let me leave you with this Scripture which totally captures the idea of thinking vertically in a horizontal culture from the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 10:5-7, “as we tear down speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is fulfilled. You are looking at things as they are outwardly. If anyone is confident in himself that he is Christ’s, let him consider this again within himself, that just as he is Christ’s, so also are we.” 

    ~ Dr. David P. Craig

    Episode One: “Living Vertically in a Horizontal Culture”

    Check Out New YouTube Channel: Vertical Living Ministries

    Episode One: “Living Vertically in a Horizontal Culture”

    April 21, 2025 – Dr. David P. Craig, Founder, Vertical Living Ministries 

    This week (God-willing) I will be launching the first of (hopefully) many videos on helping followers of Jesus live a more intentional life of discipleship. I hope that you will check out the brand new YouTube Channel: Vertical Living Ministries. I also hope that you are encouraged by the video and will do three things: hit the like button, subscribe to the channel so you will not miss any upcoming videos, and share it with someone who can benefit from the content.

    I want to address the importance of what it means to live vertically in a horizontal culture. Vertical meaning Christ-centered and living for the glory of God and not horizontally centered which means man-centered and living according to the worlds values that conflict with God’s Word!

    First, a little about me. I was born in Long Beach, CA in 1965 and lived my formative years (ages 6-27) in Huntington Beach, in Southern California. My parents came to California from Argentina in the mid 1950’s. My parents had a huge impact on me as a child, teenager, and the greater part of my life as an adult as well. I have been very happily married for 33 years to my best friend and partner in ministry and have five adult children and 11 grand children. I am the lead pastor at Marin Bible Church in San Rafael in the heart of Marin County – just 20 miles north of San Francisco and the founder of Vertical Living Ministries. In both of these ministries my greatest passion is to intentionally make and multiply disciples of Jesus in Marin County and beyond for the glory of God.

    It’s because of the teaching and modeling of my parents that I am a follower or disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. At the early age of six I learned that I needed to repent of my sin and trust in Jesus in order to be reconciled to a Holy God. My parents modeled following Jesus with joy and lived life to the fullest. They manifested all of the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. They exemplified these characteristics of the Holy Spirit for the 68 years they were married before my dad and mom departed this life to their eternal home to be with Jesus just a few years ago.

    I have no recollection in my life of a before and after experience with Jesus. He has always been a huge part of my life. I grew up learning about Jesus daily from the Bible, being part of a vibrant Bible teaching church, and my parents modeling loving and serving Jesus in our home and church along with my two older brothers and sister.

    However, I was a pretty typical teenager in that I was selfish and idolatrous – but I was unaware of this until the spring of my junior year of High School. Even though I loved Jesus, His Word, and sharing with others about Him; my highest priority was sports: Football, baseball, basketball, and soccer were really my greatest passion (depending on what season it was) and I played all these sports with great passion – and followed the local Los Angeles sports teams as a diehard fan – the Lakers, Dodgers, Rams, and Aztecs with equal devotion. I definitely spent more time reading the L.A. Times Sports page than I spent in the Bible – knowing much more about standings and statistics than Bible verses.

    Like many young men…I had the aspiration of becoming a professional baseball player. This ambition was about to radically change. In hindsight – what appeared to be a tragic day in the spring of my junior year of HS turned out to be the day that God really called me from living in darkness to living in the light. From living for the trivial and temporal, to living for that which will last forever – what the Bible calls making disciples – the great commission in Matthew 28.

    I don’t remember the time or exact date – but the event that would change the trajectory of my life transpired after the first day of baseball practice in the spring of 1983. My best friend and teammate – Corey Stejskal and I were driving to a Christian Bookstore in Fountain Valley. I was getting a book for a research paper I was writing for my Bible class at Liberty Christian HS in Huntington Beach. Corey picked me up at my house and about two miles from my house at the intersection of Heil and Bolsa Chica a drunk driver cut us off (we found out later that he was arrested for causing the accident while driving under the influence and fleeing the scene). 

    In that accident I experienced what I’ve heard many people express – my life flashed before me in the twinkling of an eye. We were in a jeep and the last thing I knew – my friend turned to the right dodge the driver that was about to slam into us and when we turned away from that car we were about to hit a telephone pole off the side of the road…and that’s the last thing I remember.

    The next memory I had was riding in an ambulance on the way to a hospital. When I came to, the Paramedic started asking me questions. I remember the only thing I could see was a puddle of blood on the pillow upon which my head was resting. I was in tremendous pain but I was impressed by the concern and compassion of the Paramedic. He asked me the usual: name, birthday, address, how many fingers he was holding up, and so forth. But what I remember, like it was yesterday, were three things he said.

    First of all he asked me if I was a Christian. I immediately said “yes”…and then I said, “Why do you ask?” And he answered, “because I think God intervened on your behalf either directly or He sent an angel to save you.” He then went on to say, “When you get out of the hospital I want you to go see the jeep. I thought for certain that when we arrived at the crash site and saw the jeep – and even told my partner – I hope there were no passengers in that jeep – because if there is – we will have to pull out some dead bodies. He then went on to tell me that with the exception of the the drivers side of the jeep the rest of it was a third of its size due to the impact of it hitting the telephone pole. The passenger side had only half an inch between the glove box and the back of the seat where I was sitting. It was an old early 1970’s model jeep with no seat belts. Had the seat belt law been in effect in 1983 I would have been almost certainly been crushed by the impact and dead.

    The next thing he said also stands out in my memory. He said, “God must have some great plans for you … because He obviously and miraculously saved your life!” And he continued, “Don’t waste your life kid. God wants to use you big time…I’m going to pray that He uses your recovery time to make your calling in life to follow and serve jesus as your number one priority.”

    While recovering in the hospital (which seemed like forever) I had nothing to do but think. Think about how much time I had wasted in my life; think about how selfish I had been; thinking about how my life was full of idols – things and priorities, I put before God. I also had a recurring nightmare as I tried to sleep with a non-stop continual migraine headache. In the dream I would see (like deja vu) people that had been in my life – neighbors, teammates from my sports teams, and acquaintances that I didn’t really know well, but recognized. In the dream each of these people were in darkness and engulfed in flames and I could see their faces and hear their voices and they all said the same thing to me: “Why didn’t you tell me about Jesus?”

    This recurring dream coupled with the time I had wasted absolutely haunted me. I kept rehearsing the words of the paramedic in my mind, and kept thinking to myself: “What if I had died… I know I would be in heaven…but what a shame to have stored up so little treasure there…and left all these useless weeds in my life behind on earth.” For the first time in my life I really felt convicted over my sin and how I had wasted my life and knew that I had not been living for the glory of God. 

    I grieved and wept over my sin. Its not like I was doing really bad things, sports aren’t bad in and of themselves. But I came to the belief and conviction that I had mixed up priorities. My priorities selfishly were man-centered and not God-centered – I clearly could see that I was an ego-maniac. I lived for my own glory and not for the glory of Christ. For the first time in my life I was compelled to turn away from the idols in my life that I had been prioritizing over treasuring Jesus and what He deems most important.

    The summer between my junior and senior year of High School. God was doing a major overhaul in my thinking and transforming my soul… and this began a journey that continues to this very day – some forty years later. The consuming thought of my life has been – “What does it mean to live for the glory of God?” A verse that I have meditated and thought about deeply and profoundly since the age of 17 has been 1 Corinthians 10:31 where the apostle Paul wrote, “So whether you eat, or drink, or whatever you, do all for the glory of God.”

    My senior year I lost my passion for sports – I decided not to play football, basketball, baseball, or soccer. My passion for sports was replaced by a passion to know Jesus and make Him known. Since the age of seventeen my ultimate goal in life has been to learn to live for the glory of God. As a pastor of a local church and life coach to Christian leaders around the world it’s also to help others do the same: the biblical metaphor continually on my mind is to help those I mentor and disciple to eliminate the temporal and trivial weeds and intentionally live for producing wheat by making and multiplying disciples of Jesus for the Kingdom of God which is eternal.

    Two of the parables of Jesus are worth exploring in light of this desire I have to live for God’s glory and help others do the same. They involve what I call being a V.I.P. follower or disciple of Jesus. Which I will briefly explain as I wind up this video.

    Let me read these two parables and then explain how we can apply these teachings of Jesus by learning how to become V.I.P followers of Jesus – or how we can learn to live vertically in a horizontal world:

    In Matthew 13:1-9 and verses 18-30 Jesus gives these two parables: 

    That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about Him, so that He got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And He told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as He sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” 

    Explanation: “Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” 

    He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ 

    In 2003 I completed my doctoral dissertation with the title: “Living Vertically in a Horizontal Culture.” My thesis was that in order to best live for the glory of God we need to have a vision of Jesus ever before us – and the best way to do that is to spend time in the Bible; we need to intentionally have the same priorities He had – and we find His priorities by daily reading His word and finding out what He’s like and what He wants us be and do; and we need to make plans to integrate that vision by intentionally living for His glory out of obediently applying His word daily.

    In 2008 I started a nonprofit ministry helping pastors and Christian leaders learn how to become V.I.P disciples of Jesus. My ultimate goal for myself and others is that we would be men and woman who have a Vision of Jesus, Intentionally live out our calling, and make Intentional Plans and goals to live for the glory of Christ.

    I want you to know that I am not an expert in these matters. I don’t always live according to this vision of Jesus…I’m not always intentional in following Jesus, nor does my life always go according to the plans that I want to carry out. However, I do believe that intentional living makes a huge difference in this pursuit of maturing as a follower of Jesus. I am much further along having this vertical vision and I want to help you do the same!

    I personally want to eliminate the weeds in my life, and I want to help you do the same. I personally want to invest disciple making – producing wheat that multiplies. I want to be a mature and multiplying wheat producer. In John 15 Jesus says that if we abide in Him we will produce fruit. In these parables Jesus is saying the same thing – we either live for our own glory or His – we either send wheat ahead or leave weeds behind. We either live for ourselves or for the glory of Christ and making disciples who make disciples. 

    God saved you and me because of the life, death, burial and resurrection of Christ to live abundant fruit producing lives. In this video and God-willing many videos to come – my goal is to live for Jesus and help you live a Christ centered life. I want to live in intimacy with Jesus and help you do the same. I want to be a fruit producing follower of Jesus who produces spiritual fruit that feeds me and others. I want to produce a hundred fold of wheat and help you do the same. My days and your days are numbered – let’s make them count by storing up our treasures in God’s heavenly barn; rather than an earthly field that will eventually be burned.

    Let’s strive to be good soil for God to do His good work in us so we can produce wheat and fruit that will last forever by investing our time with Him and sharing with others out of the overflow of our joyful walk with Jesus. Let’s be fertile soil, with roots that go deep into God’s truth as revealed in His Word. Let’s be intentional about spending time developing a greater vision of Jesus and His glory. Let’s be intentional about doing those things that will bear fruit for the Kingdom that will last forever. In my next video I’m going to help you develop what I call a Vertical Life Plan. We are going to get more specific about developing a vision for Jesus and living for His glory by intentionally planning to invest your thinking, how you spend your time, and use your talents for Jesus and His kingdom.

    Until next time: Let me leave you with this amazing promise from Psalm 16:11, ”You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

    May God’s presence and peace in your life be foremost, His Spirit fill you to the uttermost, and may your satisfaction and security be in Jesus so that you can   reflect Him in your life so that He gets all the glory! 

    In His grip of grace,

    Dr. David P. Craig

    A Proposed Chronology of End Time Events

    *A Proposed Chronology of the Times 

    (Pre-Tribulational and Pre-Millennial Perspective)

    1. EVENTS IN HEAVEN 

    a. The Rapture of the Church (1 Cor. 15:51-58; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Rev. 3:10) 

    b. The Judgment Seat of Christ (Rom. 14:10; 1 Cor. 3:9-15; 4:1-5; 9:24-27; 2 Cor. 5:10) 

    c. The Marriage of the Lamb (2 Cor. 11: 2; Rev. 19:6-8) 

    d. The Singing of Two Special Songs (Rev. 4-5) 

    e. The Lamb’s Receiving of the Seven-Sealed Scroll (Rev. 5:1-14) 

    II. EVENTS ON EARTH 

    A. Seven-Year Tribulation 

    1. Beginning of the Tribulation 

    a. Seven-year Tribulation begins when Antichrist signs a covenant with Israel, bringing peace to Israel and Jerusalem (Dan. 9:27; Ezek. 38: 8,11) 

    b. The Jewish temple in Jerusalem is rebuilt (Dan. 9:27; Rev. 11:1) 

    c. The reunited Roman Empire emerges in a ten-nation confederation (Dan. 2:40-44; 7:7; Rev. 17:12) 

    2. First Half (Three and a Half Years) of the Tribulation 

    a. Jesus opens the seven seal judgments (Rev. 6:1-17; 18:1-5) 

    b. The 144,000 Jewish believers begin their great evangelistic ministry (Rev. 7:1-8) 

    3. The Midpoint of the Tribulation 

    a. Gog and his allies invade Israel, and God decimates them (Daniel 11: 40-45; Ezek. 38-39) 

    b. Antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel and invades the land (Dan. 9:27; 11:40-41) 

    c. Antichrist begins to consolidate his empire by plundering Egypt, Sudan, and Libya, whose armies God has just destroyed in Israel (Dan. 11:42-43; Ezek. 38-39) 

    d. While in North Africa, Antichrist hears disturbing news of insurrection in Israel and immediately returns there to destroy and annihilate many (Dan. 11: 44) 

    e. Antichrist sets up the abomination of desolation in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem (Dan. 9:27; Matt. 24:15; 2 Thess. 2:4; Rev. 13:5, 15-18) 

    f. Sometime during these events, Antichrist is violently killed, possibly as a result of a war or assassination (Dan. 11:45; Rev. 13:3,12,14;17:8) 

    g. Satan is cast down from heaven and begins to make war with the woman, Israel (Rev. 12:7-13). The chief means he uses to persecute Israel is the two beasts of Revelation 13 

    h. The faithful Jewish remnant flee to Petra, in modern Jordan, where they are divinely protected for the remainder of the Tribulation (Matt. 24:16-20; Rev. 12:15-17) 

    i. Antichrist is miraculously raised from the dead to the awestruck amazement of the entire world (Rev. 13:3) 

    j. After his resurrection from the dead, Antichrist gains political control over the ten kings of the reunited Roman Empire. Three of these kings are killed by Antichrist, and the other seven submit (Dan. 7:24; Rev. 17:12-13) 

    k. The two witnesses begin their three-and-a-half-year ministry (Rev. 11: 2-3) 

    4. Last Half (Three and a Half Years) of the Tribulation 

    a. Antichrist blasphemes God, and the false prophet performs great signs and wonders and promotes false worship of Antichrist (Rev. 13:5, 11-15) 

    b. The false prophet introduces and enforces the mark of the Beast (666) (Rev. 13:16-18) 

    c. Totally energized by Satan, Antichrist dominates the world politically, religiously, and economically (Rev. 13:4-5, 15-18) 

    d. The trumpet judgments are unleashed throughout the final half of the Tribulation (Rev. 8—9) 

    e. Knowing he has only a short time left, Satan intensifies his relentless, merciless persecution of the Jewish people and Gentile believers on earth (Dan. 7:25; Rev. 12:12; 20:4) 

    5. The End of the Tribulation 

    a. The bowl judgments are poured out in rapid succession (Rev. 16:1-21) 

    b. Babylon is destroyed (Rev. 17-18) 

    c. The campaign of Armageddon begins (Rev. 16:16) 

    d. Antichrist kills the two witnesses, and God resurrects them three and a half days later (Rev. 11:7-12) 

    e. Christ returns to the Mount of Olives and slays the armies gathered throughout the land, from Megiddo to Petra (Rev. 19:11-16; Isa. 34:1-6; 63: 1-5) 

    f. The birds gather to feed on the carnage (Rev. 19:17-18) 

    6. After the Tribulation (Interval or Transition Period of Seventy-Five Days—Dan. 12:12) 

    a. Antichrist and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 19: 20-21) 

    b. The abomination of desolation is removed from the temple (Dan. 12:11) 

    c. Israel is regathered (Matt. 24:31) 

    d. God judges Israel (Ezek. 20:30-39; Matt. 25:1-30) 

    e. God judges the Gentiles (Matt. 25:31-46) 

    f. Satan is bound in the abyss (Rev. 20:1-3) 

    g. God resurrects Old Testament and Tribulation saints (Dan. 12:1-3; Isa. 26:19; Rev. 20:4) 

    B. One-Thousand-Year Reign of Christ on Earth (Rev. 20:4-6) 

    a. Satan’s Final Revolt and Defeat (Rev. 20:7-10) 

    b. The Great White Throne Judgment of the Lost (Rev. 20:11-15) 

    c. The Destruction of the Present Heavens and Earth (Matt. 24:35; 2 Pet. 3: 3-12; Rev. 21:1) 

    d. The Creation of the New Heavens and New Earth (Isa. 65:17; 66: 22; 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1-8) 

    e. Eternity (Rev. 21: 9-22: 5)”

    *The Complete Book of Bible Prophecy by Mark Hitchcock

    What Is The Purpose of Life’s Trials?

    *“The Bumps Are What You Climb On”

    A little boy was leading his sister up a mountain path and the way was not too easy. “Why, this isn’t a path at all,” the little girl complained. “It’s all rocky and bumpy.” And her brother replied, “Sure, the bumps are what you climb on.” That’s a remarkable piece of philosophy. What do you do with the bumps on the path of life?

    I have been a reader of biographies for many years, and I have yet to find a successful person whose life was free from problems and difficulties. Looking at these people from a distance, you might think they had it made and that life was easy for them. But when you get closer, you discover that their climb to the top of the mountain was not an easy one. The road was rocky and bumpy, but the bumps were what they climbed on to get to the top. 

    We don’t have to read too far in the Bible before we discover the truth. Abraham certainly didn’t become a great man of faith overnight. He had to go through some difficult tests on the road of life before he reached the top of the mountain. No sooner did Abraham arrive in Canaan than a famine came to the land. Imagine facing a famine in the land God has promised you! Then Abraham had problems with his nephew, Lot; and then war came to the land, and Abraham had to go out and fight. His wife led him astray with bad counsel and the result was the birth of Ishmael, a boy who brought sorrow to Abraham’s heart. Finally, Isaac, the promised son, was born, bringing great joy to Abraham and Sarah. Then God asked Abraham to put Isaac on the altar, a sacrifice that would be difficult for any father or mother. Yes, there were many bumps on that road, but Abraham used the bumps to climb higher. 

    If anybody walked a rocky road, Joseph did. His father pampered him, hated by his brothers, sold for a slave, falsely accused, put into prison, forgotten, and apparently forsaken. But the bumps on the road helped him to climb higher, and one day Joseph became the second in command of all Egypt. Moses had a similar experience, and so did David, Daniel, and Paul. Here were people who did not complain about the road; they accepted the difficulties of life and used them as stepping-stones to the top of the mountain. 

    I don’t know what difficulties you are going through just now, but I know some of the feelings you have, because I have been on this bumpy road myself. You feel like quitting, like giving up. You can’t understand why the road doesn’t get easier, why God doesn’t remove the stones and straighten the path. If God did that, you might never get to the top, because the bumps are what you can climb on. 

    Psalm 91 says, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” It is a psalm that magnifies the care that God exercises over His children. Eleven different kinds of dangers are named in this psalm-war, snares, sickness, terrors by night, arrows by day, and others-yet God says that He can protect us from them all. This doesn’t mean that we will never experience accidents or injuries; but it does mean that no matter what happens in the will of God, all things will work together for good. 

    One of the greatest promises found in Psalm 91 has to do with the stones on the path. “For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.” God doesn’t promise to remove the stones from the path, but He does promise to make them stepping-stones and not stumbling blocks. He promises to help us climb higher because of the difficulties of life. 

    Most of us respond in a predictable way to the rocks in the path. We complain about them; we kick against them and only hurt ourselves. We try to pick them up and get rid of them, only to discover they are too heavy for us. We can’t always get around them, and we wonder if we can get over them. Some people just stop and go no further. Others give up and turn back. But the child of God does not have to stop or go back; he can use the rocky places in life as stepping-stones to climb higher.

    The trouble with most of us is that we are accustomed to paved roads and level sidewalks. But life is not made that way. Sometimes the road is level and easy, and the birds are singing and the way is wonderful. But sometimes the road is rocky and bumpy, and we hear no music and feel no helping hand. Then what? Complain? Give up? No, that’s the time to remember God’s promise: “For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” God’s invisible army is at your service, and God can see you through.

    Charlie Brown in the “Peanuts” comic strip is one of my favorite characters. In one particular strip, he is complaining because his team always loses their games. Lucy tries to console him by saying, “Remember, Charlie Brown, you learn more from your defeats than you do from your victories.” And Charlie Brown replies, “That makes me the smartest man in the world!”

    If life were nothing but a series of defeats, all of us would get discouraged. God knows how to balance our lives so that we have sunshine and rain, calm and storm, laughter and tears. On the road of life there are level places that delight us, and there are difficult places that challenge us. If we get off the path of God’s will and go on a detour, the way will be rough from start to finish. The detour is always rougher than the main road. But there are rocks and bumps even on the paths of God’s choosing, and we have to learn to accept them and benefit from them. The bumps are what you climb on.

    But this takes faith. It is much easier to kick the rock and turn around and go back. The secret to climbing higher is to look away from yourself and your difficulties, and look by faith to Jesus Christ. He knows where you are, how you feel, and what you can do. Turn it all over to Him and start walking by faith. The very rocks that seem like barriers to human eyes will, to the eyes of faith, become blessings. Listen to the promises of Psalm 91:15: “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him.”

    If anybody faced obstacles on the road of life, it was our Lord Jesus Christ. He was born into a poor family, a member of a rejected minority race. He grew up in obscurity in a little town that mentioned only in scorn—“Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” He gathered about Him a small group of nondescript men, and one of them became a traitor and sold Him for the price of a slave. He was called a liar, a glutton, a drunkard, and a man in league with the devil. Men twisted His words and questioned His motives, yet Jesus Christ continued to do the will of God. Finally, He came to that greatest stone of all—being crucified like a common thief. But He continued to climb that mountain, and God gave Him the victory.

    This is why the writer of the Book of Hebrews urges us to look to Jesus Christ and keep on trusting. “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (12:2). We are to look not at ourselves, our circumstances, our troubles, or the bumps in the road, but unto Jesus. Yes, the bumps are what you climb on!

    *The article above was adapted from the very encouraging and practical book by Warren W. Wiersbe. The Bumps Are What You Climb On: Encouragement for Difficult Days. Baker: Grand Rapids, 2003 (Chapter One).*About Warren W. Wiersbe: Was the Distinguished Professor of Preaching at Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary, and is the author of more than 100 books. Billy Graham calls him “one of the greatest Bible expositors of our generation.” Interestingly, Warren’s earliest works had nothing to do with scriptural interpretation. His interest was in magic, and his first published title was Action with Cards (1944). “It was sort of imbecilic for a fifteen-year-old amateur magician to have the audacity to write a book and send it to one of the nation’s leading magic houses,” Warren says. But having a total of three books published by the L.L. Ireland Magic Company—before the age of 20—gave him a surge of confidence. In later years, he applied his confidence and writing talent to the Youth for Christ (YFC) ministry. 

    Warren wrote many articles and guidebooks for YFC over a three-year period, but not all his manuscripts were seen by the public eye. One effort in particular, The Life I Now Live, based on Galatians 2:20, was never published. The reason, Warren explains with his characteristic humor, is simple: it was “a terrible book…Whenever I want to aggravate my wife, all I have to say is, ‘I think I’ll get out that Galatians 2:20 manuscript and work on it.’” Fortunately, Warren’s good manuscripts far outnumbered the “terrible” ones, and he was eventually hired by Moody Press to write three books.

    The much-sought-after author then moved on to writing books for Calvary Baptist Church. It was during his ten years at Calvary that Expository Outlines on the New Testament and Expository Outlines on the Old Testament took shape. These two works later became the foundation of Warren’s widely popular Bible studies known as the Be series, featuring such titles as Be Loyal (a study on Matthew) and Be Delivered (a study on Exodus). Several of these books have been translated into Spanish. His next avenue of ministry was Chicago’s Moody Memorial Church, where he served for seven years. He wrote nearly 20 books at Moody before moving to Lincoln, Nebraska, where he and his wife, Betty, lived. Prior to relocating, he had been the senior pastor of Moody Church, a teacher at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a producer of the Back to the Bible radio program.

    During all these years of ministry, Warren held many more posts and took part in other projects too numerous to mention. His accomplishments are extensive, and his catalog of biblical works is indeed impressive and far-reaching (many of his books have been translated into other languages). Wiersbe wrote over 30 books after the age of 65 and never stoped writing and speaking. He went to be with the Lord on May 2, 2019 at the age of 89. Before his death, Wiersbe and his wife Betty gifted their library of 13,000 volumes to Cedarville University in Ohio.