Planting and Growing in God’s Garden Confession time: I’ve killed more plants than I’ve actually grown. Because of my failings, I’m especially drawn to passages in Scripture that describe God as a Gardener or Vinedresser. For example, in Isaiah 5, God is...
The Encouragement of an Encouraging Word Our Western civilization is becoming less and less civil by the day. Anger erupts over true slights as well as perceived ones. The art of civil discourse has all but died. And the lyrics to the familiar “Home on the...
The Impact of Story I love a good story, don’t you? Skilled storytellers have beguiled audiences with mesmerizing tales since the dawn of time. I have vivid memories of waiting breathlessly for stories to unfold, beginning with the words, “Once upon a time . . .”...
Isolation or Insulation? Isolate yourself from our worldly culture. Insulate yourself from worldly influences. Which is it? Are we to isolate or insulate? As our nation continues to distance itself from its Judeo-Christian roots, Christians find...
Five Steps to Prevent Spiritual Cannibalism I enjoy watching nature documentaries. Videos of tender, newborn fawns wobbling on shaky legs for the first time. Penguins holding their young close to keep them warm. Kangaroos protecting their joeys in the safety of...
Commanded to Love Differently Shouldn’t loving others be something we do because we want to? After all, if we have to be told to do it, is it really love? But Jesus did not tell His followers to love when they felt like it. He said, “A new command I give you:...
Bearing Each Other’s Burdens Without Enabling The season of giving has begun. Giving thanks. Giving gifts. And giving time and energy. Some say giving shouldn’t be limited to a range of dates on the calendar. The spirit of giving should last all year long....
Care & Compassion in a Dog-Eat-Dog World “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” Great advice. But in our culture of sound bites and 280-character tweets, caring has often deteriorated to posting platitudes and memes on social...
Hot Buttons We all have them. Hot buttons. Sore spots, tender to even a verbal touch. When poked, these sore spots provoke us to instinctive reactions. They spring from feeling challenged or irritated. Hot buttons leave us vulnerable to being provoked. And if...
The Order of Submission If ever a word could be identified as an emotional trigger, it’s submission. And if submission is mentioned in the context of marriage, then dive for cover because the trigger just became a grenade! Do the following words sound familiar?...
Planting and Growing in God’s Garden Confession time: I’ve killed more plants than I’ve actually grown. Because...
The Encouragement of an Encouraging Word Our Western civilization is becoming less and less civil by the day....
The Impact of Story I love a good story, don’t you? Skilled storytellers have beguiled audiences with mesmerizing...