Nothing calms a sheep down better than the sudden appearance of the shepherd. Whether it’s busy butting other sheep in a power struggle, agitated by hunger or thirst, frightened by some danger (real or imagined), or is cast down, lying upside down in a helpless state with no hope of righting itself … whatever is [...]
Have you ever wondered what the end goal is for our faith? We become Christians and enter into a living relationship with the true and living God. We embrace Jesus as our Savior and Lord. Then we begin to think through all the implications of what that means. As we read Scripture we look for [...]
Prayer seems to be both a blessing and a burden for Christians. We love the idea of it – to have access to the living God at any moment -- but we struggle with how poorly we execute our privilege. And in our private moments, when we’re alone or with somebody we trust, we [...]
Have you heard of the Kindness Rock Project? The movement was started by a couple of women who wanted to do something simple to help spread joy. They took small rocks, the plain kind that nobody would look at twice, painted them with images and messages, and then hid them in different places outside, hoping [...]
When we approach the Garden of Gethsemane we are struck by two things. First, something painful is happening in a beautiful, tranquil setting. Second, we have no clue what the pain is about. In the Garden, where they had gone many times before to rest and pray, Jesus is agonizing this Passover night, and His [...]
Have you ever run across a Bible verse that sets you back, making you wonder what on earth the writer is saying? Some of these are the result of culture. Being from the West, we just don’t understand Eastern expressions and ways of thinking. Other times, it’s more a matter of connecting the dots. One [...]
When you’re a people pleaser like me, truthfully replying to a question can be hard. What do you want me to say? runs through my mind before I even formulate my answer. Admitting this is embarrassing. As a follower of Jesus I know what Scripture says: “Speak the truth to each other” (Zechariah 8:16). I [...]
Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. (William Arthur Ward) One day, as Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem with His disciples, they were met by ten lepers. Recognizing Him as the miracle worker, the leprous men began to [...]
Approaching the Temple Mount in Jerusalem today holds none of the visual splendor enjoyed by the pilgrims in Jesus’ day. We stood in line at the base of a long staircase coming out of the Jewish sector of the old city, waiting to be admitted at the entry point for non-Muslims, a dingy checkpoint near [...]
In October I traveled to Israel and got to see with my own eyes the places I’ve just read about in the Bible. When I experienced for myself the barrenness of the southern desert region I could understand better how hard it must have been for the Jews to leave the relative fertility of Egypt [...]
Adventuring with God 