Following a noteworthy career in magazine, curriculum, book and Bible publishing, Dean Merrill is now concentrating on indepen­dent editorial work. Some of his projects are solo writing, many are collaborations with well-known personalities, and still others involve overall directing of complex editorial projects.
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• Regret: Help or Hindrance? - If I refuse to deal with regret, I can go no further as a Christian…. read more »
• Whatever Happened to Group Prayer? - I’m talking about the entire congregation “going vertical,” disregarding their neighbors to the left and right in order to lift up their hearts and minds simultaneously to the Lord above…. read more »
• The Joy of Zingers - Words are like hydrogen; if you know what you’re doing, you can make quite a bang. But you can also blow up innocent bystanders…. read more »
• Why Does a Church Need Spiritual Gifts? - God’s plan for the church, as explained by the apostles, is that our various needs be met by a variety of input…. read more »
• “Just Go Out and Have Fun” - A seven-year-old climbs in the minivan after attending a birthday party. “Did you have fun?” his mother asks. A star quarterback tells the after-game interviewer, “We said at halftime, ‘We’re too uptight. Let’s just go out there and have fun, and we’ll win this thing.’” An employee is asked by his friend how the new… read more »
• When Leaders Stumble - Yes, God can forgive major blunders—but it takes a process…. read more »
• Did the Upper Room Have a Worship Band? - Musicians tend to be passionate people, and it is quite possible for us to get so wrapped up in our art that we start to view it as our personal gig…. read more »
• How Much Help Does a King Need? - God is sovereign. That leads to a puzzling question: How does he demonstrate his control? … read more »
• What’s Your Legacy? - My city, though only a half-million in population, has the No. 1 Subaru dealership in America. Here in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, the all-wheel-drive feature means they sell a ton of Legacy models (plus Imprezas, Foresters, Crosstreks and especially Outbacks) to wannabe off-roaders…. read more »
• The Benefits of Not Fitting In - Certain attributes stand out in a crowd, no matter what you do. Red hair, for example. Unusual height (ask me about that one!). A non-majority skin color.Other things, however, can be covered over. Especially in the spiritual realm…. read more »
• It Ought to Hurt - If you decide that, in war, it is right to kill a few in order to prevent the other side from killing many, you’ve got to do something else…. read more »
• Avoiding the Iceberg - I confess I’m mystified these days by an odd crossover of opinion: more and more Christians seem to be trying to make ethical room for drinking … while at the same time secular authorities are warning and worrying about this society’s rampant problem with alcohol…. read more »