There is nothing like the calming words of a parent. When life had me overwhelmed at the tender age of nine because of a late homework assignment or a friend who didn’t want to play with me, all I needed was my mom or dad to tell me, “Everything is going to be okay.” Then magically, everything was. The circumstances hadn’t changed, but something in my heart had thanks to the consoling words of my parents.
Read MoreI recently battled through a hip injury. Hip flexor tendonitis is a throbbing pain at the top of ones leg where the hip connects to the thigh. While training for the marathon, I got to a point where I couldn’t run for more than an hour without my hip blowing up on me.
Read MoreYou’ll never get unless you ask. There’s no harm in asking. Go in for the ask. It would be silly to simplify all prayer and communication with God down to asking for things in his name. Obviously, prayer is much more diverse. However, I wonder how much we miss out on in our relationship with God, simply because we’re too afraid, too doubtful, or too lazy to ask.
Read MoreGod doesn’t want blind rule following, he wants our hearts. He doesn’t want us to begrudgingly give him our obedience. He wants us to willingly give him our lives. It is from a heart that is fully devoted to him that righteous living will spring forth.
Read MoreIf you really think about it, sin is the one thing we all truly have in common. Our need for grace is what binds us together as humanity. So why are we so secretive about our struggles and shortcomings? It’s not as if we are hoodwinking anyone into thinking we’re perfect. We are human, and so our sin is already evident.
Read MoreWhen a woman is pregnant, we tell her she’s “glowing”. When we’ve spent an entire summer’s day outside, we call ourselves “sun-kissed”. When something awesome happens, the kids say it was “lit”.
Read MoreFor nearly all of us, especially those living in the U.S., christianity has always been the dominate faith tradition. When many of us think about the word “christian” we picture giant, beautifully constructed church buildings with high tech, expensive sanctuaries.
Read MoreHow does one worship the Lord without saying anything? That’s what this verse challenges me to do. If extolling the Lord at all times is taken literally, then we would never shut up. Which, to be honest, is a problem for some believers. However, I don’t believe this verse is calling us to gab on and on and sing “It Is Well With My Soul” in the face of every person we meet.
Read MoreI used to be afraid of the dark. If I woke up in the middle of the night, out of fear I would call for my mother. When she came, everything was okay. Nothing had changed in the room, there still may have been a monster in the closet. But she was there now, and everything was okay.
Read MoreMy natural tendency is to think of this verse in a selfish way. “When I’M worried, my heart feels heavy. When anxiety attacks ME, I feel so beaten down. I pray for someone to give ME a kind word to cheer ME up.”
Read MoreLove is the antidote for evil. It is the highest calling we receive as people of God. It was with love that God created the world. It was with love that he formed human beings. It was with love that he sent his only son. And it was with love that Jesus hung on a cross and rose from the grave to save us from our sins.
Read MoreEsther was a queen, a beauty queen who had risen to great influence with the king. She was also a Jew, whose people were being utterly mistreated right under the king’s nose. Esther had the platform to speak up, to make a difference for her people. The question she was facing was, would she use it? Would she risk her position to help deliver her people?
Read MoreThe world is a tough place right now. Millions of people are starving, while millions of others are chronically overweight. Our flowers receive more clean drinking water in a week than some third world villages do in a month. The President is verbally attacking the NFL. Everyone is verbally attacking the President.
Read MoreI used to perform in musicals. When you work as a professional actor, you will be asked to sing 5, 6, even 8 shows a week. This is obviously very stressful on one’s vocal chords. A few years ago, I was starring opposite a wonderfully talented performer in New York City when she all of a sudden became very ill one week.
Read MoreThe question of what we will reap can be answered long before the harvest. It is in the sowing that we determine what we will reap. It is in the beginning of the relationship that we will plant the seeds for the flourishing, or the difficulties of the marriage. It is during the vision casting that a new church will establish it’s trajectory for it’s first five years. How we start will either create obstacles or opportunities for success along the way.
Read MoreThere is an old Jewish saying in the first century, “May you be covered in the dust of your Rabbi.” This sounds like it should be an insult, I know. It’s actually the exact opposite. The job of a disciple was to follow their Rabbi, their teacher as closely as possible.
Read MoreI’ve always been a pretty big guy. Growing up, I was usually the tallest in my class, and I matured physically at a much quicker rate than many of my friends. However, my size did not keep me from being bullied from time to time. I remember specifically in 7th grade, Ashton Bellman seemed committed to making my life terrible. Eventually, my mom got wind that I was having some trouble in the halls.
Read MoreWhy do we do good? Do we serve others because our church is having a Saturday Serve day? Do we pray for our friends because the bible says so? Do we give to the church out of guilt? Do we feed the hungry to feed our own reputation? Do we obey God because we want to get into heaven someday?
Read MoreObedience is learning to focus, and act on what God promised over what’s present. We won’t always be able to see or understand how our obedience is moving us toward what God has promised. But that type of perseverance in the face of uncertainty is what builds our faith. It makes us stronger when the walls finally do fall.
Read MoreIt astounds me that I have only ever heard this verse quoted from while sitting in some sort of worship gathering or church service. Yes, it is incredibly encouraging to be reminded that every time we get together, whether at Sunday morning service, Tuesday night small group, or Saturday afternoon lunch, the Spirit of the living God is there with us.
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