Work Out Salvation by Running Bases? When we moved into our home twenty years ago, we installed new carpeting. But if you visit me today, a quick glance at the same carpets will tell you a lot about our habits without a word spoken. You could easily determine...
Are You Mastered or a Masterpiece? Did you know my bio is recorded in the Bible? Yup! Paul described me to a T when he wrote in Romans 7:15-19, “I do not understand what I do . . . For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I...
Forgive and Forget . . . Or Not? Forgive and forget. Forget and forgive. Joined like love and marriage or the proverbial horse and carriage. Forget and forgive. They’re even listed one right after the other in my dictionary. Forever joined together…or are they?...
Increasing Awareness of Sin: Good or Bad? Ever feel as if you can’t pray because you’re so aware of your own sin? After I first became a follower of Jesus Christ, I was shocked to find I felt more sinful than before I became a Christian. And that awareness...
Power of the Tongue “O, Lord: Help my words be gracious and tender today, For tomorrow I may have to eat them!” “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but names can never harm me.” I can still hear that childish chant echo down through the years. Trouble...
Trying Harder to Believe a Lie Are you concerned that you’re not “doing” the Christian life right? Perhaps you’ve believed the lie that you need to try harder to do better. I was raised to believe that as long as I worked hard and worked smart, I would succeed...
Selective Vision and Selective Listening As a writer and freelance editor, I’ve seen first-hand how easy it is to fall into the trap of selective vision. Some of my editing clients are convinced they don’t need an editor, that is until they receive the edits...
Confessions of a Recovering Pharisee Have you ever looked up to a pastor or teacher, wishing you could be as good a Christian as they appeared to be? Perhaps you are the one whom others admire, hoping to be more like you in their Christian walk. In Jesus’s day,...
Dayenu – That is Enough! This has been a significant week on several levels. From a Good Friday presentation of “Messiah in the Passover” to rejoicing in the resurrection of Christ on Sunday, to celebrating a personal milestone later in the week. A common...
How Desensitized Are You? As I write this, my phone is dinging. Breaking news: “At least 12 dead after massive landslide overtakes village in Ecuador.” Yesterday’s headline: “38 killed in fire in Mexico migrant detention camp.” Two days ago, breaking news...
Perseverance in the Face of Obstacles “Size” is relative. The smaller we are, the larger everything else...
Growing in Grateful Dependence You’d think I’d learn by now. I mean, how many times do I have to experience the...
Hiding Behind a Mask What do comic book superheroes and villains, children on Halloween, and masquerade balls...