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.
READ MORE »

• Lots of Sayin’ Going On - Suddenly it seems my phone is ringing twice as often these early-summer days, while my mailbox is jammed, and the roadsides have sprouted more red-white-and-blue signs than yellow dandelions. Guess what: Another political season has burst open. Here we go again…. read more »
• Screening Out the Word - Sometimes technology gives us more than we bargained for…. read more »
• Is Baptism Optional? - The question is about more than getting your hair wet in public…. read more »
• Making the Most of an Imperfect Church - There’s no point wasting a decade or two looking for perfection…. read more »
• Bible Translations: It Doesn’t Matter What You “Like” - Have you noticed that Bible translations even have their own Facebook pages now? The NIV, the NLT, the ESV, the NASB and others are busily telling their stories and collecting tens of thousands of “likes” from their fans. They’re all getting whupped, however, by the venerable King James Version, which has nearly 1.8 million…. read more »
• The Lure of “New!” - If you’re in the advertising business, you quickly learn about the Two Magic Words. One is “FREE!” The other Magic Word is “NEW!”  read more »
• Is There a Man in the House? - Are you curious about what really goes on in heaven? Many people are. Just this week, my wife looked at the framed pictures of my parents and her parents (all four deceased) and asked, “Do you think they’re in touch with each other now? Heaven has millions of people; have they found each other in… read more »
• The God Beyond Location - We affirm that God is omnipresent, but the whole notion is counter-intuitive. God has to be “someplace,” doesn’t he? … read more »
• Looking for a Loophole - W. C. Fields, the famous comedian and actor who spun such punch lines as “I once spent a year in Philadelphia, I think it was on a Sunday” and “I certainly do not drink all the time; I have to sleep, you know,” was a confirmed atheist. When he finally lay dying (of cirrhosis of… read more »
• Underneath the Public Image - It was a dark and stormy night—literally. Thunderheads plumed into the April sky…. read more »
• A Four-Letter Word Called BUSY - What’s the busiest month of the year? Obviously, December, with all the shopping, partying, concertgoing, and traveling…. read more »
• How to Explain the Infilling of the Spirit - The apostle Paul did not write, “Get filled with the Spirit,” as if it were a one-time achievement. What he wrote, Greek scholars tell us, is “Be always being filled.” … read more »