Pain derails lives, doesn’t it? The agonizing stab in my knee forced me to drop the heavy suitcase I was carrying to the airport shuttle. I had been managing mild arthritis well for eighteen months. My work and hiking had returned to normal. Suddenly, that pain shunted me back to my earlier fears of lost […]
It’s almost Halloween, so let me tell you about an important gast. “What’s that?” you ask. Well, it’s the Old English word for a ghost. Old English is the phase that our language went through before William the Conqueror. Traces of it remain in Modern English. Old English words can be fun. If you happen […]
If the essence of our relationship with God depends on certain practices we engage in, then it’s likely we are banging our heads on a spiritual ceiling without realizing it. Nothing is wrong with church meetings, listening to Christian music, snatching the latest from your favorite Bible teacher, and your own personal devotional routine. All […]
Every well-equipped kitchen has one—a strainer known as a colander. After boiling the potatoes, pasta, broccoli—you name it—it’s a helpful tool to retrieve cooked food from scalding water. Pour the contents of the pan into the colander and the water comes streaming out of dozens of holes, leaving the food inside. Those steaming water spouts […]
Recent events at Asbury University have raised questions: At what point do we label something revival? Is it simply that large numbers of people gather because of reports that God is touching lives? Or are other things necessary? Social Media causes reports to go viral as soon as crowds descend on a place for more […]
“It makes for a harmonious marriage,” they said. “She will respect you more if you involve her in every decision,” they said. Yeah. Right! But my father Terah and the other elders had never had to reckon with the Lord. They had a settled life; since leaving Haran, mine had been an unpredictable journey. The […]
It’s awkward to feel uncomfortable in a meeting while being unable to figure out exactly why. I muddled my way through one, but I wish I had come up with a better response. Sometimes analyzing a situation and our feelings takes time. Here’s what happened. The presenter invited us to introduce ourselves in what, for […]
“I will get up and go to my Father, and will say to Him, ‘Father I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight . . .’” (Luke 15:18) ((These are the words of the younger brother, but I imagine the older brother saying something similar if he ever came to his senses.)) . . […]
There is no such thing as arriving. If an individual or group ever thinks they are close to the stable, mature, well-functioning ideal that they have longed for and worked towards, they are probably fossilizing. Jesus keeps moving; that’s why we are called to follow—beyond failures, through responsibilities and sacrifices, ignoring distractions. Jesus’ three-part conversation […]
Actions speak louder than words. Jesus used action to reveal Himself to several disciples after His resurrection. Two travelers to Emmaus recognized Him only as He broke bread with them. ((Luke 24:30-31.)) Thomas surrendered when he saw the open wounds in His risen body. ((John 20:26-29.)) More happened on a fishing trip in Galilee. Six […]