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
God Trains Our Hands for War As Christians, we know we’re in a war. Sometimes, though, it can seem like the battle is between us and the clock. We’re busy. We’re tired, and it feels like we just don’t have enough time or energy to get things done in a day -- much less in… Continue reading God Trains Our Hands for War
Both Ephesians 5:15-16 and Colossians 4:5 mention the phrase “redeeming the time.” It’s a concept that deals with how we spend our time on earth and how we should always live with eternity in mind. Recently, I was inspired to try my hand at a charcuterie board-style fruit platter for a ladies' meeting at church.… Continue reading Redeeming the Time: Pray for a Cookie Pan Life
As a teacher, I’m pretty excited when summer rolls around. For me, it’s a time to rest and reset some things around the house that might have gone by the wayside during the year. One of my favorite pastimes is reading on the deck in my backyard. But this year before I could even get… Continue reading Sanctification & the Christian Life: An Analogy
Luke 6:45 tells us that our hearts hold our treasure. Either that treasure is good so that the things we say and the way we act are good, or that treasure is evil, and our words and actions are affected by that as well. But where does this treasure come from? And what are we… Continue reading Where Do We Get The Abundance of the Heart?
