Gaining a heart of wisdom
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
When Amy Carmichael left her home in Ireland to serve as a missionary in India, she embarked with joy upon a career as an itinerant evangelist. As part of a close-knit ministry team, she traveled from village to village, sharing Christ and seeing lives transformed. One campaign reached twenty thousand people, drawing large crowds who… Continue reading Three Words That Make It Possible for You to Rejoice
Very often, when picking beans or tomatoes in the garden, I work alongside the neighborhood honey bees. They're busy ransacking the blossoms and thinking about a honey supply for the long Maine winter ahead of us. At the same time, I'm picturing shiny and colorful jars of beans and spaghetti sauce to store on my… Continue reading What Kind of Fear is Pleasing to God?
We know from Scripture that Peter, Jesus's outspoken fisherman-turned-apostle, was married, and the tone of his second letter makes me wonder if he was also a parent. Step-by-step, Peter describes an incremental discipleship in which faith is supplemented "with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection,… Continue reading Embrace the Weighty Joy of Living a Reminding Life
On a perfect July beach day, I stood in the Atlantic Ocean up to my knees, enjoying the rhythmic push and pull of thousands of gallons of water. However, as the surf dislodged the sand from beneath my feet, I struggled to maintain my balance. Eventually, I realized that if I insisted on standing in… Continue reading How Can I Stand Firm When the Earth is Shifting Under My Feet?
I pushed the damp mop across the kitchen floor, knowing full well that I would be finding sticky spots on cupboard doors and drawer handles for days to come. The transformation of a bushel and a half of apples into smooth, pink applesauce is the work of a couple hours on my own. However, with… Continue reading What Does It Look Like to Serve Others as Jesus Served?
Living Our Days 