Faith
Packing What You Need
“Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.” Genesis 22:3 NIV When I was younger I thought I knew…
Quick Fix Anyone?
The other day at work I was working with a patient who’s been having some back trouble now for several years. In the middle of his exercise routine he said, “I wish there was a quick fix for this.” Quick fixes are nice, aren’t they? It would be nice if we could carry around that…
Divine Patience
“He has made everything beautiful in its time and that there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under Heaven. “ Ecclesiastes 3:1,11 Recently one of my girlfriends informed me that God was placing “divine patience” in me, despite my resistance to receiving it. I’d been going through a tremendously hard time…
Warring Agendas: Distractions or Opportunities?
“The world sets the agenda for the professional man; God sets the agenda of the spiritual man.” – John Piper One of my goals this year is to be more intentional. This means actively improving my craft and pursuing avenues of publication, but it extends beyond writing. I also want to be intentional with my…
There is NO Easy Button
Christianity is much more than simply believing in Jesus; it’s following him. We need to make that distinction because our culture is voyeuristic – we like to watch things…and that’s it. People in our culture don’t mind looking at Jesus, but few are actually willing to follow him. Following is much harder. Following Jesus is…
The Grace of Who I Am
Romans 3:23,24 – For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (NIV) I know who I am, and I know my struggles. If I were to list them one by one, they would be embarrassing, ugly…
The waiting
We as writers are no different than anyone else when it comes to waiting, are we? Last week I noticed the slight brush of that very auspicious thing we call inspiration. The idea toyed with me all day, vague and mysterious, as I sat biting my pen and straining to put it down. Waiting, waiting, waiting.
Dead in Christ?
Are you a dead man walking? My girls and I are studying leaves in Botany this week. It’s more fascinating than you’d think! For instance, in the fall, when leaves exchange their bright greens for autumn hues of red, orange, and yellow…those colors are actually the true color those leaves were all along. The chlorophyll…
Holding on Loosely
I’m someone who likes to make plans. I like to know when I’m doing something, how long it will take, and what’s coming next. I don’t like surprises. But one thing this bout with cancer has taught me is to hold on to my plans with a loose grip. James 4:13-15 says, Now listen, you…
Hope
Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” What an inspirational verse! And we need it right now. A lot of things are happening in our country that are scary and make us fearful for the…