An Impossible Standard? Has God set us up for failure? It might feel that way when we read some of the commands in the Bible. Some standards seem impossible to attain. Love your enemies. Do good to those who persecute you. Take up your cross. Don’t be anxious for...
What Kind of Friends Do You Have? How many friends do you have? Not the hundreds or even thousands you may have on social media, but real friends you could call on for help if you’re in a jam? July 30 is International Friend Day. So in light of International...
Are You “Wildflower Dating” or “Snowmanning” God? As I talk to singles today, I often wish for a slang dictionary to keep up with their descriptions of our contemporary dating culture. Regardless of age, terms such as pocketing, cookie-jarring, ghosting,...
Blessings in Disguise Ever hear about a guy named Jabez? He was all the rage 25 years ago, or at least his prayer was all the rage. I’ve been praying a tweaked version of that prayer for years. And it centers around redefined blessings. Jabez and his now-famous...
Giving a Piece of My Brokenness “Different people need a different piece of your brokenness.”* I read this quote from country music singer Jo Dee Messina several times as the meaning and message sank into my spirit. A piece of my brokenness. Brokenness is not...
Funeral of My Independence So many funerals in the past several months. Funerals commemorating the end of physical lives. The end of hopes and dreams. And the end of relationships that leave a hole in our hearts. Funerals acknowledge that physical death is a painful...
Pause, Pray, Ponder, Proceed We’ve all experienced times when life throws us a curveball. Have you ever adopted the four P’s—pause, pray, ponder, proceed—in those situations? A friend shared this practice as a biblically wise method of approaching bumps in the...
Calling Out the Ugly Ugliness surrounds us. As much as we’d like to, we can’t escape it. The apostle Paul called Satan “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2). As we look around, the evidence is overwhelming. Of course, if we could escape the ugliness out...
Finding God's Will - Part 2 Have you ever felt as if searching for God’s will is like a reluctant game of hide and seek as we hunt for elusive answers? In Part 1 last week, I explored whether we really want to know God’s will. The post closed with this question: Can...
Finding God's Will - Part 1 Many people wonder if they can know God’s will for certain. But before we can answer that, the first question we should ask is, Do we really want to know it? Searching for God’s will can feel like a reluctant game of hide and seek as...
An Impossible Standard? Has God set us up for failure? It might feel that way when we read some of the commands in the...
What Kind of Friends Do You Have? How many friends do you have? Not the hundreds or even thousands you may have...
Are You “Wildflower Dating” or “Snowmanning” God? As I talk to singles today, I often wish for a slang...