[A quick note for the month ahead] Taking a little breather through August – a chance to slow the pace, refill the well, and let the soul stretch its legs. But of course, my thoughts are notoriously mischievous. I’m fairly certain a few of them will still sneak their way onto this page. They’re famously… Read More »

A little true story from my time of thanksgiving with the Lord today – one that gave me a smile. “Thank You, Lord, in advance, for the glorious work You’ll be doing in me and through me today. Even if I don’t see it, I’m confident of it by faith – faith in Your love… Read More »

Growing closer to the Lord doesn’t happen only in places of solitude. Mostly, it blooms in the terrain of our everyday lives – in our family life, our workplaces and schools, our neighborhoods, in the ordinary encounters that fill our days, and even in the simple execution of our chores, errands, and routines. Scripture tells… Read More »

What you gave last week was not in vain. What you believed God for last week was not in vain. What you tried to accomplish for Him was not in vain. The attempt to have the right spirit, attitude, and perspective was not in vain. “My dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move… Read More »

When someone asks me what difference knowing God has made in my life, I sometimes answer with a question: Have you ever been loved? You don’t say, “I’m so loved by my wife that I have no room left for the love of my children or my friends.” The heart doesn’t work that way. It… Read More »

Having just reached my 70th birthday and wondering how I got here so quickly, my thoughts turned to how unusual this moment in history really is. For most of human existence, life moved at the pace of a walking person or a trotting horse. If someone from ancient Israel or ancient Greece were dropped into… Read More »

Temptation isn’t only the urge to do the wrong thing – for a believer, its most persistent form is the subtle pull to believe the wrong thing. To cradle a view of ourselves that contradicts the one God has already spoken. Thomas Merton captured it well: “The biggest human temptation is to settle for too… Read More »

I believe in science. I don’t dismiss it, fear it, or treat it as faith’s rival. But when people say, “Trust the science,” as if it’s more reliable than faith, we forget that science is only large enough to measure the world we can touch – not the God who spoke that world into being.… Read More »

I’m really big on giving thanks because it still amazes me that something so “basic” can be such a powerful spiritual resource. Giving thanks is a sure thing when it comes to being in God’s will and pleasing Him. No guesswork. It’s always a direct hit. Starting my day with it feels like getting the… Read More »

What is spiritual drift? Paul describes it in 2 Corinthians 11:3: “Just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” Spiritual drift happens when something else – often something that looks spiritual – quietly replaces devotion to Christ as our… Read More »