The first time I encountered the idea of my life circumstances being an assignment from God was when I got diagnosed with cancer. Because I had seen others get healed miraculously, instantaneously by God, I assumed that’s what would happen with me. But when the results kept coming back as positive, and the doctors told [...]
In our western culture of excess, choosing to start small seems strange. We like to launch our work with a big splash, overwhelming everyone with our instant success. Even in our churches, we’ve adopted strategies that mean bigger and bigger buildings, more people on staff, and a congregation so large people have to be divided [...]
When I was a young Christian we used to crack jokes about 1 Timothy 4:8, thinking it was justification for not staying in good physical shape. Here’s how it reads in the KJV (the version we read back then): “For bodily exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
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 