We can call ourselves Christian and go to church, but are we living the Gospel of Jesus Christ? or are we using the Gospel for our own purposes? Are we living Christ’s Word or our own watered-down version? The Gospel has been used over the centuries for many nefarious purposes—to convert the “infidels” during the […]
Humility is a strange concept to us Americans. We are so self-sufficient and self-directed and motivated, that we almost can’t grasp what humility is. It is not a cloak that we wear to subdue ourselves and look like we are “humble” and pious. It is not an attitude that we have to be a doormat […]
In every choice we make there is a cost to us and a benefit. If we stay where we are, we stay where we are comfortable, but we lose the freshness of something new in our lives. If we choose to move or change, we lose the comfort of the known. In every decision there […]
“I so want this with all my heart amen” wrote one of my readers, SW, in October this year, in a comment on “The Promise of Isaiah.” She was expressing a deep longing for her whole self to be restored to the Lord and for living a purposeful life. Interestingly, that deep longing is the […]
Being a Christian is not about preaching. It’s not about testifying. It’s not about looking good to someone else so we can draw someone to the Lord. First and foremost, it’s about walking the walk; it’s about living the talk, what Jesus taught, in your life. It’s not about putting on some attitude or the […]
The truth about our lives is so simple: we live every moment in the presence of God. God is present in every event, every plant/rock/person/animal. God is the interweaving of all life, the glue, if you will, that holds everything together, that connects all elements in the universe. God is the Creator of all and […]
Jesus was a radical teacher in 1st century Palestine. His message is just as radical for our times. First, and foremost, he brought forward the commandment from Deuteronomy 6:5 to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. And how are we to love God? With all of ourselves! This means that God […]
“Our God is an awesome God, there is nothing that he cannot do…” This is a song that my grandchildren learned in Vacation Bible School a few years back. It’s true, our God is an awesome God, but not just in the muscle-flexing ways of the children’s song. God is awesomely mysterious and yet knowable; […]
I have been thinking lately about not being or having an addictive personality. After all, I’ve never been addicted to drugs or alcohol. But I was brought up short recently by this thought: what do you mean you’re not addictive? You spent ¾ of your life being addicted to self-doubt and fear. You considered yourself […]
Grace. Blessings. Prayer Have you ever driven a manual transmission? Do you remember how the gears were meant to mesh, just slide easily one from the other when you shift from second gear to third or third into fourth? There is no revving of too much gas, an ease with the clutch, just a very […]