Until recently, when someone would come up to me and ask how I was doing, my typical response used to be, “I’m busy, but good.” I somehow thought that it was necessary to convey an overabundance of activity in my life. If my schedule had a gap, I equated the
Friends, I have to confess I’ve experienced a great deal of conviction over the last four weeks of our Jonah study. Reading his story has held up a mirror to the spoiled brat in my heart. I whine when things don’t go my way. I wonder why God won’t do
Life is hard. It’s complicated. It’s messy. I have a friend who was unexpectedly, prematurely widowed. A friend who is an alcoholic but won’t admit it. Several friends fighting cancer in their thirties. A friend in the throes of an affair. A friend who’s been abandoned by his family. And
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5 I’m usually pretty content with my life. That is, until I see that skinny girl on the
The Thessalonian church was growing in faith and increasing in love for one another (2 Thess. 1:3). If I asked you, you probably would say faith and love are two areas in which you want to grow. But growing has a price not many of us are willing to pay.
As we sit in different seasons in our lives, it’s all too easy to want to race ahead. An exciting interview might lead to a better job, which will hopefully pay for a new car, and the car will be perfect for that trip we want to take. Before you
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. – Colossians 3:15 As followers of Christ, we must be imitators of Him, not amplifiers of ourselves. We cannot ride the unpredictable waves of our emotions for days, months,
This is a lesson I’ve had to learn the hard way. And if I’m completely honest with you, it’s a lesson that I’m still learning. What you think about matters. I recently came home from a long day of meetings, various kid pickups and drop-offs, basketball practice, and deadlines… and
Have you ever found yourself trying to be diligent, focused, and resolved in your spiritual walk, but somewhere along the way discipline starts to wane, life (and the world) gets crazy, and you find yourself either giving in to things you didn’t use to or getting drawn in to petty,
“Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness.” – Ecclesiastes 5:10 “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” – Hebrews 13:5 “It is a sin to despise