Mistletoe is a familiar sight and symbol of Christmastime. Often hung in doorways and adorned with ribbon, the little green sprigs with white berries bring love and affection wherever they go. As tradition holds, anyone found standing underneath one is fair game for a holiday kiss. While the history and symbolism of the tradition make… Continue reading Beware of Spiritual Mistletoe: An Analogy
Sharing Jesus with someone the Holy Spirit is not drawing is like mixing all the ingredients for dinner and putting them onto a cold stove. You may have the freshest meats and vegetables, the perfect blend of spices, and the most expensive cookware, but if there is no flame under the burner, it will just… Continue reading In Evangelism, Pray for Holy Spirit Fire
Photo by Raban Haaijk on Unsplash The high school where I teach is huge. With 204 teachers, two buildings, and over 3,300 students, it’s bigger than some small towns. The parking lot is also large to accommodate both staff and upper-class students who have their own cars. As I pulled into the parking lot this past week, I… Continue reading Proverbs 4:23: Paint the Yellow Lines of Your Heart
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 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
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
Navigating the sea of life can be tricky sometimes. Sailors in the old days used the North Star as a guide. Unlike the sun and moon which travel back and forth across the sky, the North Star stays pretty much where it is. In fact, Shakespeare in his Sonnet 116 indirectly called it (and love… Continue reading A Biblical Worldview Is a Christian’s North Star
Boxing is a pretty violent sport. But like any sport, there is equipment, a regulating authority, and rules that keep the game as fair and safe as it can be given the object of the game: to hit without getting hit. Of course in most boxing matches, both sides take a pretty good beating. Each… Continue reading 5 Lessons About Spiritual Warfare from Boxing
