Every week we counsel and mentor Christians who are often either in crisis or deep disappointment. The question comes, “What should I do?” Of course, we advise and we pray, offering these things in faith that they will help. But the best and simplest answer would always be, Go home …
We cannot bear to feel empty for very long. In America we often have fast food restaurants every few yards, as capitalists cash in on our reluctance to experience hunger for more than a few minutes. The obesity epidemic confirms that we cannot bear the sensation of emptiness, that we are driven …
Today, I set my heart anew upon loving Jesus well. Sometimes we need to do this — and not just for the Lord, but also for husband or siblings or others we know we are called to love in this life. Devotion is deliberate. And returning to devotion is often …
I wasn’t born craving chocolate, actually. I didn’t know it would become a necessity of life until I tasted it for the first time. And I didn’t come out of the box loving the taste of a ripe, creamy avocado, or a sweet pecan; but it was instant love. New …
Man’s steps are ordained by the Lord, how then can man understand his way? Proverbs 20:24, NASB This verse is in my “pet peeve” file — because I hear it applied in erroneous ways, as if all men’s steps are ordained by God, predetermined, making man something of a puppet. …
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No-one is good– except God alone.” Mark 10:17-18 How could Jesus …
You’ve got it upside down and backwards! I’ve heard this since I was a teenager. You don’t hear it much today, but it floats up again when I observe how people generally handle the whole God-thing. People often feel as if everything about life with God is up to them, …
Anyone who reads the whole Bible notices attributes of God and his culture that, by their repetition, stand out in the mind and get stuck in the heart. One of the most noticeable attributes is HONOR. God loves honor. He models honor, he teaches his children to honor, and he …
Most of us see tithing as a sacrifice given over to God, never to be seen again. While the first part is true (and needs to be fully true in our hearts), we need to understand more about God’s purposes in the offerings we bring. These purposes are revealed in …
The mention of reading the Biblical book of Numbers often brings eye rolls. But like every other book in the Bible, God reveals His heart in this book in unique ways not seen elsewhere. …
This winter, I am suddenly captivated by the capillary beauty of non-evergreen trees revealed against bare blue winter skies — a glory I’d never noticed before, hidden by other seasons. Now, my eyes are drawn irresistibly to them as I drive the roads and walk about Son Rise, the retreat …
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12 Anyone familiar with me through friendship, teaching, counseling or my books, knows my experience of God has always been measured by how He satisfies my heart. I learned early on that God doesn’t …
