I could feel the pressure starting to build with each word the insurance lady spoke. It was pushing at the backs of my words as I waited for my turn to speak. “Maintain your Christian witness. Maintain your Christian witness. Try to maintain…” My head felt like it was swelling with the effort of holding… Continue reading The Spirit of Frustration: Causes and Cures
I never thought for a single moment I was doing anything wrong. I didn’t miss one church service, a single chapter in my Bible-reading plan, or one night in my prayer closet. All my ministry responsibilities were done with the same care I always use, and praising God was the first thing on my mind… Continue reading Beware: Backsliding Is Easier Than You Think
When we were little and just learning to do things for ourselves, we would try. Sometimes we would struggle and strain to zip our jackets or tie our shoes until we finally had to acknowledge the need for help. As Christians, I think sometimes we forget that we haven’t arrived just yet. We're all still… Continue reading Sometimes We Need Wise Counsel
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, a minor tragedy happened in our home. My cat, Nichta (pronounced NEEK-ta and meaning “night” in Greek) broke his leg. The events surrounding his injury and recovery brought me face to face with my own reactions to God when things happen in my life that bring me pain. In fact, recently,… Continue reading Trust the Master: 3 Lessons From My Cat
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and for those of us who have it, the Bible has some pretty scary verses. For me, this part of Luke 12:48 is one of them: “…For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required…” Lately, the verse has been coming… Continue reading To Whom Much Is Given, Much Will Be Required
Human beings were built to worship. God created us to reverence Him and to revolve our lives around Him. Even people who are not believers in the one true God still worship. Some worship false gods of other religions. Some worship things like money, power, fame, or even family, and some just worship themselves. Since… Continue reading Worship God and Him Alone: A Cautionary Tale
Disappointment occurs when there is a difference between expectation and reality. We expect something good, but we receive something that is, well, less good than we expected. It happens to everyone in life, but it can be especially hard when we get to wondering why certain situations are happening to us. After all, when we… Continue reading Disappointment on the Christian Walk
When it comes to understanding, context is everything. We take what we already know and apply it to the things we don’t using our past experiences, logic, and even our worldview. We add up the clues one by one and come up with a conclusion that makes sense to us. But the Bible says in… Continue reading Lean Not on Your Own Understanding
Masks today are all the rage, and I’m not talking about the ones designed to protect us from illness. I’m talking about the things we use to cover our problems instead of addressing them. We hide feelings of anger and pain, we hide habits and shortcomings, and we even hide our dependence on things other… Continue reading When God Takes Away Our Hiding Places
For those who are listening, God is speaking all the time. It isn’t always dramatic like an audible voice or even a dream or a vision. It might be a Bible passage that seems to come off the page or the still, small voice that speaks to our hearts. But sometimes God uses circumstances, like… Continue reading 3 Last Days Object Lessons From Shopping
