J. Lee Grady

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told His disciples He would send the power of the Holy Spirit upon them. But they had no idea what that would look like. Jesus didn’t give them a script to prepare them for Pentecost. There was no church bulletin to explain that a rushing wind would blow at

One of my greatest passions is discipling the young generation. I love it because the young people I mentor are so hungry for spiritual direction that they literally pull it out of me. I also love discipleship because helping others to be successful is indescribably fulfilling. It really is more blessed to give than to

Last week I preached at Freedom Point Church, a small congregation in Carrollton, Georgia, 50 miles west of Atlanta. Two years ago the church had shrunk to 12 people, and it was at risk of closing. But when I went there last Thursday, 103 people came for a regular midweek Bible study. On some Sundays,

Last month I was the main speaker at a men’s conference in Cali, Colombia—a city that was once the headquarters of the most powerful drug cartel in the world. The city is more peaceful today, but it’s still known as a hub of violence. It’s also famous for its indigenous witchcraft. On the second night

Last week I was the guest speaker for the Monday morning chapel at Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas. It was a few days before Easter, so I could have shared a nice devotional message about the resurrection of Jesus. But the Holy Spirit had been “bothering” me for a few days, nudging me

Many of us were shocked last week when The White House designated March 31 as a “Day of Transgender Visibility.” The timing of the proclamation was beyond insensitive, since President Biden’s announcement came just a few days after six people at a Christian school in Nashville were killed by Audrey Hale, a young woman who

“I’m planning to die today.” That’s how 28-year-old Audrey Elizabeth Hale began a private Instagram message to her friend Averianna Patton on Monday morning of this week. “THIS IS NOT A JOKE!!!!” Hale continued. “You’ll probably hear about me on the news after I die. This is my last goodbye. I love you. See you

This past week I led a men’s conference in coastal Colombia, a nation with a high rate of fatherlessness. Colombian men rarely receive affection from their fathers because the macho culture requires guys to be tough, harsh and emotionally closed. On the first night I taught from the parable of the prodigal son in Luke

Have you ever wanted to go to a secluded place and scream at the top of your lungs, “God, why are you taking so long?” I have. Everything about my life has seemed too slow. My last name even means “gradual.” Some people might look at my life and say, “Lee has had a fruitful

Near the end of the film “Jesus Revolution,” Pastor Chuck Smith gives his young disciple Greg Laurie the keys to a church and challenges him to launch a new congregation. When Laurie expresses his lack of confidence, Smith says: “God has a long history of using flawed people.” Those words certainly apply to the Jesus

There’s a scene halfway through the new film “Jesus Revolution” in which Greg Laurie, a fatherless teenager who’s been searching for life’s meaning through drugs and Janis Joplin concerts, is baptized in the Pacific Ocean by a hippie preacher named Lonnie Frisbee. Before Lonnie dunks Greg in the water, he leads Greg in a salvation

By now you’ve heard that leaders at Asbury University decided to end the continuous revival meetings that broke out on their campus on February 8. It wasn’t an easy decision—students didn’t want to stop praying and worshiping, and the crowds kept coming to the tiny town of Wilmore, Kentucky. So many hungry people visited Asbury

There was nothing unusual about the 10 a.m. chapel service held at Asbury University on Wednesday, Feb. 8. Guest speaker Zach Meerkreebs shared a message from Romans 12 about demonstrating God’s love, and the last thing he said in his closing prayer was, “Revive us by Your love.” Whoever was videotaping the service stopped recording.

I wasn’t watching the Grammy Awards last Sunday night, but I couldn’t help but hear all the fuss about the controversial performance by artists Sam Smith and Kim Petros. Some people seemed surprised that their song “Unholy”—which is about a husband who cheats on his wife—won a Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. It’s no