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 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 [...]
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 [...]
The man speaking on the early morning news show said the same thing I’ve always heard about investing for the future: You have to be in it for the long haul. Here’s why: If you don’t have the guts, the fortitude, to ride out all the ups and downs, bumps and dips, wild fluctuations and [...]
“Wrung from the troubled spirit, In hard hours of weakness, solitude, and times of pain, Truth springs like harvest from the well-plowed field, And our soul feels it has not wept in vain.” STREAMS IN THE DESERT, 1997 A little more than a month ago I was in England, where I spent three weeks seeing [...]
Everyone who’s been a Christian for any length of time knows that the most important goal in following Jesus is to become more like Him, to take on His nature. We call that quest becoming more Christlike. We wouldn’t dream of pursuing such a quest if He hadn’t been the one to suggest it. It [...]
Jesus repeatedly warned his disciples about the leaven (yeast) of the Pharisees. He spells out in Luke 12:1 what He means: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” By their teachings and example the Pharisees encouraged others to do as they did – focus on outward religious works and [...]
Once again I am packing and unpacking, a process that frequent travelers know well. With the new demands by airlines for lighter and smaller bags, we now must choose carefully what we will need for our destination. “What can I do without? What is absolutely essential to take? What makes sense to buy there, and [...]
Adventuring with God 