My only sibling just left my house … and I am already lonely for his company. We don’t see each other very often, since we live in different parts of the country. But it’s not just the infrequency of our visits that make them special. In close families like ours (sometimes with close friends as [...]
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, [...]
People today are looking for the real deal. Even though we like to take our selfies and project a better-than-real-life image of ourselves in public, we still yearn for authenticity, something we know to be true and trustworthy. But in a world of photo-shopped images, assumed identities, and fake news, how do people ever become [...]
I’ve tried to ignore the elephant in the room, but I feel the Holy Spirit wants me to talk about something rather unpleasant: POLITICS. In the West, our political climate is filled with division, misunderstanding, and hostility as opposing parties battle for dominance. It’s hard to engage in any discussions about our government (even though [...]
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 [...]
“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” When the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost, the disciples received power to be witnesses of Jesus (Acts 1:8). They went out declaring the good news that Jesus had risen from the dead. Soon everyone born of His Spirit – not just the apostles – was giving [...]
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 [...]
A brand new year! Spotless and full of promise at this point but also fraught with new challenges, maybe even danger. So how will we engage it? To boldly step out and face 2018 without fear won’t be easy for some of us. We’re struggling with health problems that could become serious in the months [...]
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 [...]
Adventuring with God 