The Purpose of Power
For just a moment, consider the first image that comes to mind when you think of power. Is it lightning, tornado winds, or a rocket ship, or perhaps a sumo-wrestler, influential leader, magnetic speaker, or maybe even Samsom or Goliath from the Bible? While I don’t know what your image was…
The Truth About Feelings
The Pixar film “Inside Out” tells the story of Riley, an 11-year-old girl, who, after moving to a new city, experiences a wide array of emotions, expressed in feelings. These “feelings”, ranging from joy to sadness, attempt to control Riley, but eventually…
The Most Dangerous, Safest Prayer
Can anything be simultaneously safe and dangerous? Does this seem absurd to you? If you answered yes, I understand why, as clearly, it’s not safe to walk in the middle of traffic, drive while blindfolded, or swim with sharks. Obviously, every one of these actions is dangerous…
Making the Most of Every Moment
Do you ever wish there were more hours in a day? If so, I’m right there with you, and so are countless others, as time is something we all seem to want more of. Because of this, we work hard at scheduling and multitasking. While there’s nothing inherently wrong, and even a lot right with this,…
Busting the Mom Myth
God loves variety. If He didn’t, He wouldn’t have made the world with an array of species and kinds. Nor would He have created different races of people with individual personalities and various giftings. Yet He did, and when He did,…
What’s Big for You?
When opening a group meeting, or in a conversation, my friend Tim regularly asks, “What’s big for you?” It’s a relevant question, as everyone, on different levels and varying degrees, faces big things in life. Big things, I’m sure you’ve guessed…
What Jesus Wants Every Believer to Know
As a former music and arts director, I’ve overseen many Easter productions. This was something I always enjoyed. Still, after months of preparation and rehearsal, I was ready for some much-needed rest when it was over, as was the entire choir, cast musicians and tech team.
This is why I find it personally significant to realize that following the very first Easter production—the one Jesus literally starred in…
Why Good Friday is Truly Good
The good in Good Friday is best understood as holy. We know this to be true. At the same time, it feels counterintuitive to connect the word good to something truly horrific. Yet, the Friday Jesus was crucified was…
For the Praise of One
One of the things I love most about corporate worship is hearing others sing. This often brings tears to my eyes as I recognize how many people sincerely love God and are…
Living Like Jesus
The Grammy award-winning country song “Live Like You Were Dying” tells the story of a man who experiences a profound shift in perspective following a life- threatening diagnosis. The inspiring lyrics…
In Pursuit of God’s Promise
Pesky enemies and scary giants did not require God to create a Plan B for the Israelites to possess the Promised Land.
Trusting God’s Plans Even When They Make No Sense at All
Is God wise? Yes, He is! Is He ever wrong? No, never! Is everything He does good, for our best and His honor? One hundred percent, yes. But do we always understand His ways and plans?
When You Feel Like a Grasshopper
Have you ever faced something that immediately reduced you to size, causing you to feel small and insignificant…
Embracing Your God-Sized Dream
While there is no formal definition for the term “God-sized”, the meaning is clear. God-sized refers to something reflecting the greatness and magnitude of God, such as…
Loving Difficult People
It’s one thing to love those who are easy to love, and it’s a whole other matter to love people who are quite frankly difficult. While there is no command specific to loving difficult people…
Loving Your Neighbor
Consider the question, “Do you love your neighbor?” Does the word “neighbor” recall thoughts about the cantankerous person down the street, the sweet young family across the parking lot, or the partiers that live upstairs? If so, how you truthfully answer the question is…
The Greatest of All Loves
In 1985, Whitney Houston’s remake of “The Greatest Love of All” became an overnight success. It’s a beautiful song, with a lovely melody, positive lyrics…
A Love Like No Other
For just a moment, make a mental list of people you consider to be completely loving. By this I refer to those rare breeds who consistently…
Rethinking Trials
I think we would all agree that the Bible does include a few choice verses and even whole passages that are challenging and semi-confusing…
Learners for Life
This week I finished reading the book of Genesis. I’ve read this book many times before. Yet each time I learn something new. This is just one of the many reasons…