Gaining a heart of wisdom
Francis Collins, a well-known public scientist and, more importantly, a Christian, insists that the path to wisdom lies along the broken road of our mistakes. On a recent podcast interview, he shared this illustrative parable: A young student, intent on gaining wisdom, asks everyone he can find, "What is the source of wisdom?"His elders reply,… Continue reading Get Wisdom as You Learn from Your Mistakes
Doubt has a stubborn power over the human heart, and while it's an uncomfortable place to sit, it's a normal part of the human condition. Far better to bring it to the surface than to try to push it down. Like a beach ball in a swimming pool, it will surface anyway. There's a false… Continue reading Dealing with Doubt within a Life of Faith
These days, the Morin family is all abuzz with talk of names. That's because there are two little boys scheduled to make an appearance in 2025 (Two new grandboys!), and their parents have chosen strong and beautiful names for them. Parents of newborns typically have to run the gauntlet of naming questions:"Is that a family… Continue reading Who Is Jesus? (The Most Important Question)
Maybe you're old enough to remember an old song from the 1960s with the strong suggestion that "What the World Needs Now Is Love, Sweet Love." While I can't argue with the premise, I would humbly suggest that wisdom is a more immediate need. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfHAs9cdTqg Wisdom presiding over love sounds like an equation with a… Continue reading What the World Needs Now is Authentic Intelligence (AI)
Slightly hard of hearing in his Sunday suit and tie, the smiling usher boomed a greeting into the cold and cavernous narthex. “You forgot to set your clocks ahead, right?” Immediately, the disjointed pieces of that chaotic Sunday morning fell into place. The full parking lot, the prevailing hush — yes, we were an hour late… Continue reading It’s Spring-Forward Sunday! Will You Be Late For Church?
Five years ago, we watched history unfold as the world responded to a new virus and a new way of doing life. I wrote an essay that appeared on the (in)courage website in July 2020. Remember those days when we were all trying to figure everything out? Since it has never appeared in its entirety… Continue reading An Unveiled Life: Remembering The COVID-19 Shutdown Of 2020
I keep hearing this statistic, and it's like a pebble in my shoe: Regular Scripture reading is the most consistent factor contributing to spiritual health. It ranked higher than anything else, and it makes abundant sense when we realize that God has promised to speak to the believing heart through his Word. Regular Scripture reading… Continue reading Come Close To The Story: A Free Lenten Devotional
As a grownup with no little people living in our house any longer, my task at bedtime is simple and straightforward. I assemble the scattered experiences of a day, including all the moments of distress, puzzlement, or joy. At day's end, everything becomes an offering to the Lord as I simply turn the outcome over… Continue reading Is the Illusion of Control Your Favorite Idol?
When distance separates us from a friend's disaster, when there doesn't seem to be a workable solution to an ongoing problem, we promise to pray. That's what friends and families and church communities do for each other. But sometimes we just don't know what to ask God for. Do we pray for relief or repentance?Do… Continue reading How to Pray for Someone When You Don’t Know What to Pray
How does one live well before God amid life's challenges? Most of our decisions have to be made on the fly—like taking a test we haven't studied for! Sometimes, the wise course of action is hard to discern, and making a call is impossible until the choice and its consequences are already in the rearview… Continue reading 2 Reading Strategies to Get Wisdom from the Word
Living Our Days 