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Sleeping in the Storm
I toss and turn as the minutes turn to hours. Sleep seems far away. Have you been there? I’ve struggled with sleep as far back as I can remember. Even with pillows and blankets on a fairly comfortable bed, rest feels so elusive some nights. I find it striking that Jesus could sleep on boat tossed by a violent storm. It’s almost as if you can see storm clouds on the distant horizon as Jesus steps into a boat in Matthew 8. Two men approach him, applying for discipleship, and ask to follow him. Jesus tells them they must leave personal comfort and family obligation behind. Following him requires…
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My Summer Reading Recommendations for Leaders
Light of Assisi: The Story of Saint Clare. How much do you know about Clare of Assisi (b. 1194)? Most of us know about St. Francis. But Clare, his contemporary, outlived him by twenty years and is probably why we have such great access to his story and writings. Think Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton making sure we all rightly remember Alexander Hamilton and you get the picture. Raised in an elite home, Clare was quite literate and trained to manage a wealthy household. But Francis helped her slip out with a companion, cut her hair, and launch herself—in quiet defiance—on a path of celibacy, poverty, and service. Radical! Her elite training…
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Dealing with Distractions in Prayer
As we move into 2024 many of us as christians make resolutions or goals for our spiritual lives. Because we often feel defeated by our attempts at prayer, we try harder to be consistent and engaged, but it doesn’t always last. One big problem is that we become distracted during our time of prayer, and once we are, we get busy with whatever it is and never get back to prayer. And then we feel guilty. Distractions during prayer have always been a big challenge for me too. So I’ve read and listened to suggestions from many sources and hope that their advice helps you, as it has me. I…
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Bible Memory? A Must!
Memorizing the Bible has been a challenge in every generation. It is a challenge for every age group. The enemy does not like it when we hide God’s Word in our hearts.
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What Will Be Your Harvest?
Children are listening. They often believe blindly what they hear. Let’s speak the truth in love even in our daily conversations that they overhear and especially when we speak to them. Words can’t be erased or unheard from the heart. Paul tells us in Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows.” What will we harvest from the words we’ve sown this year?
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Clearing Our Vision
This past summer I had cataract surgery on both of my eyes. For years my eye appointments have revealed small cataracts growing ever so slowly, but finally they reached the point that they needed to come out. Immediately after the first surgery, I saw the world not only more clearly, but also more vividly. I was in awe of the beauty of the blues, reds, yellows and greens all around me. Just glancing into my back yard made me stop in awe of the beauty of nature. I was overwhelmed by simply walking into my closet and noticing how bold the colors of our clothes were. The world became even…
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Helpful Hand Motions
To grow they have to eat and drink and move around and play so that their muscles grow strong. There are some things we need to do as God’s children if we want to grow big and strong in the Lord.
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Beware Lest You Teach Another Gospel
Of course, there is only one true Gospel message but to misconstrue it in any form is to turn it into something that it is not.
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A Word for 2023
As I’ve done since 2014, I began 2023 by asking God to give me a word and a verse for the year. It was a new concept to me then. This is the definition I found: “One word that sums up who you want to be or how you want to live. One word that you can focus on every day, all year long.” What in me needs work? Where do I need to focus spiritually? What is God working on in my heart and life? As a Christian I open my heart to listen well to God’s voice. Perhaps you would benefit as I do from asking God to show…
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What’s Missing in Discipleship?
Over the past few years I’ve become increasingly alarmed at the actions of Christians as they engage with various cultural and political issues. Social media has revealed that too many of us lack concern for truth, treat others unbiblically or believe arrogantly that we have a monopoly on biblical truth. Fear seems to be motivating too many of us to act in ways unbecoming to Christians, especially to our brothers and sisters who disagree on non-essential beliefs or political answers to the country’s problems. Hopefully you don’t spend much time on Twitter, which seems to reveal the worst of us. I’ve certainly been guilty of labelling people without understanding, arrogantly…