Sometimes biblical statements astound me. Not just in the truth they express but the expanse of their application. Here’s one from 1 Corinthians 1:5: “In [Christ] you have been enriched in every way.” Can it be that every aspect of our lives is enriched … made better … when we belong to Jesus? Is He [...]
Do you like watching “Antiques Roadshow” on PBS? Me too. I’m always blown away by what the experts uncover. People bring in their family treasures to have them assessed and are sometimes dumbfounded – either because the item is worth less than they hoped or is so valuable they need to insure it. Often they’ve [...]
At some point in our walk with Jesus we have to face it: the S word. It’s something we try to avoid. We even invent theologies that suggest we won’t have to because Jesus did all of it for us. But the truth is, we will undergo SUFFERING. It’s part of our identification with Christ. [...]
“No man ever spoke like this man” … or prayed … or healed … or listened … or cared like this man. He could confront hypocrisy with perfect judgment yet offer love and forgiveness to the worst of sinners. No doubt about it: Jesus was (and is) in a class of His own. I sometimes [...]
In the frantic preparations for this holiday season and all the activities accompanying it, I hope you won’t lose sight of the big picture. When Jesus came, everything changed. Oh sure, to those who saw Him walking around it seemed nothing had changed. Rome was still oppressing them, preventing them from running their own country. [...]
Expectations are beliefs springing from our thoughts and experiences. When our expectations are met (even our negative ones) we feel empowered, like our lives make sense. But what if our expectations are denied over and over again … or our assumed outcomes never materialize ... what then? We tend to react with feelings of anger, [...]
Way back when I was in high school (I know, so long ago!) the Everly Brothers had a hit song called “Cathy’s Clown.” It was a sad tale about some guy who’d been played for a fool by his girlfriend. She’d run around on him and he’d been unaware of what was going on. Once [...]
Building a relationship with anyone is hard work. That’s not because the person is necessarily difficult to know or enjoy. It’s just that we must be willing to spend the time to find out things about them – what they like and dislike, their background, their future dreams, as well as the fears and concerns [...]
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 [...]
Adventuring with God 