Gaining a heart of wisdom
Fresh out of college, I worked for a children’s ministry. I planned and orchestrated kids' events, taught a lot of Bible lessons and memory verses, but my first great love was teacher training. I loved taking the teachers into the cultural ideas that were shaping the worldviews of the kids they were teaching. I loved… Continue reading Does Your Prayer Life Point to the Beauty of Christ?
Growing up in the era of analog timepieces, I was fascinated by my grandfather's pocket watches. The rhythmic tick and the steady movement of the second hand that somehow seemed connected to the slow movement of the minute hand puzzled me, so when his watch wore out, and he needed a new one, he gave… Continue reading Beware of Three Dangerous Myths about Wisdom
When he washed his disciples' feet, when he slipped away from the crowds for solitary prayer, when he honored, taught, and conversed with women, Jesus was a puzzle to his people. On Palm Sunday, we celebrate yet one more occasion in which "his disciples did not understand these things at first" because who rides into… Continue reading Did You Ever Wonder What It’s Like to be Humble?
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
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)
Since April 2024, a story has been unfolding very vividly in my home, in our family, and, therefore, in my life. I've held it close, not sharing it here, but the story ended on December 5th, and I've had some time to process its impact. Back in April, a dear friend was diagnosed with advanced-stage… Continue reading Get Wisdom: It’s a Worthy Pursuit for 2025
We propped the lopsided flannel board against the back of the couch, and my grandkids organized the slightly dogeared images, arguing for a minute about who would get to "do the snake." Apparently, Moses wore a bright pink striped robe in his encounter with the burning bush and didn't have time to change before his… Continue reading Bring the Kids You Love Heart to Heart with the Bible
How long has it been since you sat down and read both Gospel accounts of Jesus's birth?If you're like me, you can sing all the verses of every traditional Christmas carol. But when was the last time you really listened to the words? Sensory overload during the Christmas season is real. It steals our joy… Continue reading Fall in Love with the Christmas Story All Over Again
A hymnal is one of the books I use almost daily in my devotional routine, and I love Thanksgiving hymns in November. Their tried and true words and melodies call up visions of harvested fields, gatherings around a loaded table, and God's "countless gifts of love." I learned one of my favorite Thanksgiving hymns in… Continue reading Thank God for What He’s Given You Now
Living Our Days 