I like sushi. The weird thing is that if you would have asked me less than a month ago, I would have curled my lip and held up my hand, “No, thanks.” When the implications of my newfound appreciation occurred to me recently, I marveled again at God’s attention to even the tiniest details. See,… Continue reading Even When We Aren’t, God Is Able
Summer vacation is fun, a time to plan a few more things for enjoyment with family and friends. This week, I took a trip to an indoor hotel swimming pool. As I got into the water little by little, I recognized the definite feeling of conviction coming over me. It occurred to me that acclimation… Continue reading Two Kinds of Sanctification & a Day at the Pool
In John 14:6, Jesus makes one of the seven “I Am” statements in the Book of John. He says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” The Apostle Thomas thought they were having a conversation about a physical location, but Jesus was identifying Himself… Continue reading 4 Characteristics of “The Way” of Holiness
“It came to pass” is one of those phrases from the Bible that people have really taken hold of over the years. The literal expression means something akin to “and then this happened,” but the message we can get from it is much more profound. It’s an expression that speaks to the transience of both… Continue reading “It Came to Pass” – Beyond a Message of Hope
Psalm 23 is one of the most beloved Psalms. It’s the one where David compares the Lord to a Shepherd who always takes care of His sheep. But there is one line in the Psalm that stood out to me recently, one I hadn’t really thought about much before. Psalm 23:2a says, “He maketh me… Continue reading He Maketh Me to Lie Down: When God Gives Us Rest
In the 1970’s, Stanford University conducted a research project involving four-year-old children, marshmallows, and the idea of delayed gratification. The results of the experiment were later shown to be indicators of how successful those same individuals would be when they grew up. Recently it occurred to me that God has His own version of the… Continue reading When Christians Face the “Marshmallow Test”
If you have ever felt weak and frustrated, you will identify with my situation. It all started with a dream. I don’t remember much except the part where I was wearing one regular shoe and one super big shoe. I woke up thinking, “You’re trying to do things in your own strength.” From there, God… Continue reading God’s Grace Is Our Strength
Sacrifice is a tough word. It means giving up of yourself for someone or something else. It’s the system that God set up in the Old Testament to atone for the sins of His people. And it’s the plan He made from the foundation of the world to redeem mankind. But sacrifice isn’t just for… Continue reading When God Asks for a Sacrifice, It’s Not in Blind Faith
I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Not physically, but spiritually. The battle had been raging since the day before. The lies that washed over my mind made me feel like I was literally being dragged under water. I would struggle madly to sip a small breath of truth, comparing the words in my mind to… Continue reading Spiritual Emergencies Call for Spiritual CPR
The Bible is full of word pictures. Jesus used parables, simple stories to explain spiritual concepts, and Paul was fond of metaphors. One comparison Paul used throughout the New Testament was the idea of the Christian life as a race. Everybody knows that it’s not how you start a race that determines the winners and… Continue reading The Christian Life Is a Race – Finish Well
