Last night before drifting off to sleep, the thought crossed my mind: We instinctively underestimate the Lord. It’s not necessarily unbelief, but human nature. And I don’t think it’s something we can fully overcome this side of heaven. Because “His greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145:3). “Unsearchable” doesn’t mean “hard to find.” It means you could… Read More »

If your Monday already feels like it’s pulling you in five directions, pause for a moment. Before the day gathers speed, take whatever’s in your hand – a cup of coffee, a water bottle – take a sip and a steady breath, and pay attention – for just a few moments – to the quiet… Read More »

I love the creature comforts I’ve been blessed with. They bring me joy, pleasure, and real comfort – and I know I would grieve their loss. At the same time, my soul’s center of gravity is not there. Each day I’m learning – again – that my LIFE is not in what I own or… Read More »

I have a saying: any day can be that one day that changes your life completely. That was dramatically true for a young man named David Tolley. It’s 1985. A pianist cancels at the last minute, and late-night tv host Johnny Carson decides to ask if anyone in the audience can play. A few hands… Read More »

Here’s a little practice that sounds almost too simple to matter, but trust me – it sneaks up on you. Grab a favorite Bible verse or a passage that’s been tugging at your heart lately and write it out slowly with an actual pen on actual paper. Yes, paper. (Your keyboard will survive the rejection.)… Read More »

A common question I get as a pastor is, “If I’m free from sin, why do I still battle selfishness, jealousy, envy? Why do I still grumble, curse, and act… unchristian?” Because “free from sin” (Romans 6:22) doesn’t mean sin disappears. It means sin doesn’t run the place anymore. Freedom isn’t “I don’t sin.” Freedom… Read More »

Today is Willie Mays’s birthday, one of the greatest to ever play the game of baseball, if you’re not familiar, and it brings up a whole bundle of memories of my late brother. He loved baseball, and he loved Willie Mays. And somehow, that love translated into time spent with me – his kid brother… Read More »

“And David became greater and greater because the Lord was with him” (1 Chronicles 11:9). David wasn’t great because he was impressive, or because he always made the right choices, or because everything in his life turned out well. He was great for one reason: the Lord was with him. David knew it, believed it,… Read More »

You know what I love about giving thanks? It’s not subject to the world’s rules of “big” and “small.” We’re the ones who rank things – major blessings over here, minor conveniences over there. But thanksgiving doesn’t play along. It just says, “Did God give it? Then it matters.” The power of thanksgiving isn’t in… Read More »

Is anything more spiritually motivating than realizing we are fully known and fully loved? I don’t think so. So this morning I’m sitting with the simple, staggering truth of David’s words from Psalm 139: “O Lord, You have searched me and You know me.” I know what it feels like to say to a friend,… Read More »