His Power: Perfected in Weakness

We all know that God’s ways are not like the ways of the world. Yet we tend to continue to operate like everything depends on us. We polish our skills and groom our appearance so we can be more appealing to our peers. But if we’re fortunate, every once in a while God allows us [...]

Restoring Our Depleted Souls

It’s human nature to resist what’s in our best interest. Kids resist being put to bed, even when they’re exhausted. Adults ignore health guidelines and indulge in harmful junk foods, even as they complain about not being able to fit into their clothes. We binge-watch shows we’ll soon forget the details of; we spend hours [...]

Hitting the Sweet Spot

If you play tennis, racquetball, squash, baseball, cricket or golf, you know about the “sweet spot.” It’s the location at which the object being struck (usually a ball) absorbs the maximum amount of the available forward momentum and rebounds away from the racket, bat, or club with a greater velocity than if struck in other [...]

Hills to Die On??

Part One: August 2022 We’ve all heard the saying, usually expressed as a question: “Is this a hill to die on?” Here’s the definition of this phrase I like best: “An issue to pursue with wholehearted conviction and/or single-minded focus, with little or no regard to the cost.” Often, we use it in a military [...]

How Hearts are Changed

I was old enough to know better when I made a risky decision. I was out with friends and started talking with a guy from another high school who was bowling next to us. By the end of the evening, we were getting along so well that, when he offered to drive me home, I [...]

Reclaiming the Gospel

In the aftermath of Derek Chauvin’s trial (the man convicted of killing George Floyd) many of us are wondering What is our role as followers of Jesus in all of this?  Is social injustice an important enough cause to join forces with the world to overcome? Are we in fact negligent in our Christian duty [...]

What is Our Passion?

When Mel Gibson’s movie came out (The Passion of the Christ) some might have been confused by the title, because the word passion is used today mostly to describe sex or something else we especially enjoy. “He has a passion for sailing,” we hear, or “she’s passionate about her work with kids.” But for centuries [...]

He Remembers That We Are Dust

Are you starting the New Year with hope and optimism? Or is your heart filled with dread as you dwell on all the problems facing the world? Beginning this month, I want to turn our attention to biblical truths that will enable us to face the future without fear as we center our lives in [...]

Fearing the Lord our God

I was blessed with one of the world’s best mothers. Her love for her kids was legendary, and her reputation for indulgence? Well, I remember how shocked my kindergarten teacher was when I told her one morning I had hot dogs for breakfast. My mom figured protein was protein. What difference did it make if [...]