David and his mighty men couldn’t seem to catch a break. After being ousted from the Philistine army because some of the commanders mistrusted them, they came to Ziklag to discover the Amalekites had burned the city and taken all their wives and children captive. David and his men were so distressed, they “wept aloud [...]
“Do not be afraid, little flock,” Jesus told His followers, “For your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). I love this verse, don’t you? It reminds me of a similar verse in the Old Testament. There God tells His people, “Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob, little Israel, do [...]
How predictable is your faith walk? Here’s why I ask. A well-known adage goes like this: High predictability = Low Impact; Low predictability = High impact. I think most of us would agree with this; generally speaking, we remember best events that came as a complete surprise or appeared in some new way. This is [...]
Sometimes I get overwhelmed by it all. Advertising is everywhere—We listen to advertisements as we pump our gas, watch YouTube videos (unless we’ve paid for Premium), or wait for a movie to start. It’s a dim memory, but I remember going to movies when all I had to sit through were previews of upcoming shows [...]
Vacation season has begun. Many will be heading out to various destinations—cell phones and sunscreen in hand—excited to see and experience new things. Some of us will travel great distances and enter a totally different culture for a few days or weeks; others will take their vacations closer to home. Whether we revisit familiar places [...]
Every story worth telling begins with an “inciting incident” … something that upsets the balance in a person’s life and drives them forward in an unpredictable and sometimes scary direction. As they react to the incident—trying to restore balance and regain control—their lives are forever altered. Their decisions and subsequent actions either help or hinder [...]
Jesus, our Lord, who died and rose again, is now sitting on His throne of glory—the highest place in heaven. Angels, elders, and living creatures encircle His throne, shouting “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise” (Rev. 5:12). Yet, we [...]
The cross of Jesus Christ is a deep and profound mystery beyond our limited human understanding. It’s what C. S. Lewis called “the Deep Magic” in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. We glibly talk about substitutionary atonement, but none of us fully grasps its meaning or significance. So I enter into this topic [...]
Sometimes we think our culture is particularly wicked and beyond God’s reach. We begin to imagine life without the influence of the Gospel and wonder: What will guide and inspire the generations that come after us if it vanishes from sight? But a cursory look at history will reassure us that "when the enemy comes [...]
Growing up I had an awesome older brother. He was five years older than me. To be sure, he wasn’t very pleased to share his home with a sibling at first. Rumor has it that he tried to trade me to my grandma for a cat when I was born. But as we grew up, [...]
Adventuring with God 