Gaining a heart of wisdom
John Newton is best known for his well-loved hymn, Amazing Grace. He was also a vocal opponent of England’s slave trade, but those closest to him in his youth knew him as a foul-mouthed, hard-living reprobate who made his living as a slave ship captain. Early in Newton’s Christian life, his reputation would have followed… Continue reading Are You Worried that Your Past Might Cancel Your Future?
My friend Joanne was continually clearing off her kitchen table–with little success to show for her valiant efforts. Whenever we talked on the phone, I could hear her moving about, tethered by a 1970s-era phone cord, and I knew what she was doing. She was clearing off the kitchen table. Again. Even so, whenever I… Continue reading Do the Next Thing and Fine Tune Your Focus
Rosaria Butterfield writes about our tendency to interrogate Scripture and its truth with a "doubt first and ask questions later" mindset when we see God behaving in ways we don't understand. A more helpful (and orthodox) mindset brings all we know about God's goodness and faithfulness to the biblical narrative and then invites the Scripture… Continue reading Three Powerful Reasons You Should Tell Your Story
The New City Catechism asks, “Who is God?” and then provides an answer based on the very first verse behind the leather cover of your Bible: God is the Creator of everyone and everything.” Whether you are personally in the business of creating by threading a needle or making music on a keyboard—or by stringing… Continue reading Words of Encouragement for Those Who Envy the “Creative” People
Keeping my voice confident (more confident than I felt!), I greeted my Sunday morning learners with an unexpected request: “Let’s stand together for our reading of God’s Word this morning.” They didn’t know I had chosen a longer passage than usual.They didn’t know I had timed the reading to fill about three minutes.They didn’t know… Continue reading How Can I Cultivate a Listening Life in a Noisy World?
There’s a peculiar satisfaction that comes with being right. Given the opportunity, we’ll make an idol of it and even run roughshod over those we claim to love in order to win an argument, thereby trading peace for the honor of clutching the blue ribbon of "rightness" close to our hearts. Often what’s at stake… Continue reading The Humble Discovery of Truth that Makes Us and Defines Us
My sweatshirt still carries the faint aroma of woodsmoke, and I'll get around to washing it sooner or later. For right now, though, I'm enjoying the memory of our quick, impromptu camping adventure in the tall pine trees surrounding Mount Blue. We carried in our water and used a Coleman lantern and a crackling fire… Continue reading Are You Becoming a True Spectator of the Glory of God?
If your kids and grandkids haven't already gone back to school and if the retail merchandising freight train hasn't already whisked you into Halloween and Christmas, the imminent arrival of Labor Day weekend and the month of September have likely put you on notice that summer is coming to an end. Maybe you've spent your… Continue reading What to Pray When Your Whole Life Feels Out of Control
Do you ever stop and think about the why behind all that you do? Especially if you are involved in ministry, what motivates you to keep on working? Is it duty?Pressure from others?Habit?A desire to look good, to be thought well of? Or do you serve God from a heart of love?What motivates your obedience… Continue reading What’s the Temperature of Your Love Relationship with the Lord?
Three-hole punched and organized into a shiny new notebook, my teaching notes were ready to go. The call had come, I had done the long work of study and heart preparation – and I was terrified. Tiny voices of doubt nibbled away at my confidence: “You’re such a spiritual lightweight! Nothing you can discern from… Continue reading The Size of Your God is More Important than the Size of Your Strength
Living Our Days 