From the mounting scientific evidence, gratitude seems to be good for our health. The leading American researcher in this field, Robert Emmons, found it lowers blood pressure, improves immune function, and facilitates more efficient sleep. Other benefits include lower levels of cellular inflammation, more prosocial behaviors (that foster new and better relationships), and greater resiliency [...]
Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” And his question continues to echo down through time. What can we believe? Is there objective truth apart from our perceptions and opinions? Or is truth merely what we want it to be? Today we have to wrestle with philosophical propaganda, wishful thinking, blatant lies, and fake news all [...]
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 [...]
The setting where Jesus fought His greatest battle was fittingly an olive grove. As He knelt among the trees and prayed to His Father, He foreshadowed the process the olives around Him would soon undergo. On the tree they were safe and protected, but the time was coming when men would gather them for another [...]
No, I don’t mean sentimental or corny; someone given to syrupy-sweet emotion or foolish romantic ideas. I don’t mean being the first to cry at a touching story. I’m talking about a different kind of “sappy” … “The trees of the Lord are full of sap” (Psalm 104:16). I studied tree sap in science class [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Adventuring with God 