Jeff Carlson was born in Illinois and raised in the Chicago suburbs. Jeff came to personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as a college freshman through the witness of a campus evangelist. He graduated from the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois with a degree in engineering and worked in the corporate world for several years before his call to ministry.
Following graduation from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California Jeff came to Oakhill Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan where he currently serves as pastor. Jeff has a tremendous passion to teach, preach and communicate God's Word in simple and clear ways that the average person can understand.
He loves to see people experience amazing grace and find the abundant life the Lord has designed us for in life. Jeff met his wife Dianne in Grand Rapids where they make their home with their daughters Heather, Kathryn and Rachel.
Our culture has become very comfortable with open sexuality. But what is sex really all about? In order to understand what sex is really all about, we have to go to the Bible. We have to go back to the beginning, and read God’s instructions in Genesis 2.
In the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, the city of Jerusalem is central to what God is doing. Today Jerusalem is holy to three faiths, Jews, Christians and Muslims, and even today, Jerusalem remains central to what God is doing.
The media love to report on and make fun of stories of the antichrist. But who will he be? How will we recognize him?
Where is Heaven? Here and now? A mirage? Or a real place being prepared for those who love God?
How do you get to Heaven? If you took a survey asking that question, the amount of different answers may be equal to that of the amount of survey respondents. The truth is there is only one answer to that question. The only right answer is found in the Bible, John 14:6.
In this age of increased growth of the scope and power of government, who really cares about us and is able to take care of us?
Is there a Biblically correct economic system? As believers, what does God want us to understand about the area of economics? While Matthew 25 does not address the area of economic systems, it does address economics and the freedom everyone has before the Lord.
How should we define marriage today? We must go to the Bible and start from the beginning, Genesis 2, and follow through into the New Testament. When we do that, we will find out what God is really trying to say to us and see God's love for us as defined through marriage.
Whether the Blood Moons are a sign from God or not, one thing we know is that God is at work and has a plan for the world.
Throughout history the world has seen kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall. We have seen nations rise and nations fall, and today we even see our own nation on the decline. But, what a wonderful promise we have that the Kingdom of God will never fall or be destroyed.
The Carlson Report looks at the subject of Valentines Day and answers the question: Why are Roses Red?
When Jesus ascended into heaven He promised He would return, but that was almost 2,000 years ago and nothing has happened. How can we, today, know that Christ really is going to return?
Listening to the news today can be very disturbing as we hear and see all that is going on in the Middle East and around the world. This segment of The Carlson Report assures us that through all of this, God is working out His plan and purposes.
Why do we celebrate the 4th of July? Is it just a day to eat hotdogs and brats? Or is there more to it than that?
The concept of Separation of Church and State has shifted in the past few years from protecting the church to silencing the church.
The Resurrection of Christ is the center of the Christian faith... and it is being modeled for us again in the rebirth of the State of Israel in our very own lifetime.
Seduction into evil today begins exactly as it did in the Garden of Eden, by deception and believing a lie.
The only real way to find the answer to that question is to find out what the Bible says, and the answer found in Romans 3 may surprise you!
Scientific discoveries have led to amazing information and connections available to us all. But do these satisfy? What would really satisfy us?
Tolerance is a popular word today. We are all told we should be tolerant. We don't hear as much about love. But, is tolerance what you really want? Wouldn't we all rather be loved?
When the Lord returns, what will happen?
How do we look beyond the building and the programs and see the real message of the church?
Throughout the years people have been searching for a lasting peace, but have been looking in all the wrong places.
The national debt is something that is discussed at length in our country today. The numbers on the National Debt Clock are spinning at an alarming rate.
While the idea of taking a picture of yourself in nearly every situation may be new, the concept really originated in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve.
What do you think of when you think of the moon? Romance? Space exploration? God’s love? God’s love is probably not the first thing you think of when thinking about the moon.
What role will Russia play in the end times? Does Ezekiel 38 answer that question? In this passage, God is telling us that He has a great purpose in allowing this conflict to happen, not to destroy, but to display His greatness so the whole world may know Him.
Most religions have a list of things that people are supposed to do and how people are supposed to act in order to please God. But, is this really what it is all about? Is this what God really wants from us? Is religion about what we do for God, or is it about what God has done for us?
We've all watched amazing events via the technologies available to us... but a greater Event is coming, which "every eye will see."
There is much discussion today on the two state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and everyone seems to have a very strong opinion on the matter. Jeff Carlson uses the wisdom of Solomon to present a unique perspective on this issue.
Why is it that in a country with so many material blessings, so many people are unhappy? Do we really understand what happiness is? Are we looking for happiness in all the wrong places? If so, how do we discover real happiness?
Everyone seems to have the answer to the world's problem. Some think if we would all join together we could solve all of these problems. The Book of Genesis tells us this has been tried before. It didn't work. But there is Someone who can solve the world's problems, and it is not us!
TOne thing every Christian should agree on is the value of life. The Scriptures leave no doubt of the value of life and the miracle that life is.
We live in a world filled with counterfeits and it is often hard to determine what is real and what is counterfeit. Love can be the same way. Counterfeit love can easily be mistaken for the real thing. But if there really is true love, how would we recognize it if we found it?
A defining question for every Christian. You can ask a hundred different people, you will get a hundred different answers. Can we really affirm that Jesus is God?
Who today is not connected? The question is, are you connected to "friends" in an artificial way, or are you connected to the Lord in a very real way?