Seven miles off the rugged west coast of Ireland a wild fang of an island juts out of the sea. Its sheer flanks are uninhabited for all sane reasons. Only seabirds live here, and only in summer, when the fierce North Atlantic storms have subsided...
READ MOREA number of folks I know and love are chasing hard after God these days.
I think the times are demanding it. The draining nature of the pace of life combined with the spiritual battles that seem to be hitting everyone are creating in us a...
READ MOREStasi and I were having dinner last night with some dear friends, leaders of a ministry and seminary. At one point in the conversation the husband said something to the effect of, "I am praying daily for the return of Jesus." And it stopped me in...
READ MOREI was sitting at my desk this morning catching up on email, and noticed the December Wild at Heart letter lying nearby. I picked it up, and read it...and knew I had to share it with you (even if you read the hard copy)...
Dearest Friends...
READ MOREA Merry Christmas to all our dear friends and allies!
As I reflect upon the mystery of the incarnation, and the great invasion of the Kingdom that began under cover of darkness in a remote village in the Middle East, so many wonders flood...
READ MOREI'm not sure if it is the pace of my life, or something to do with forgetfulness, perhaps even modesty, but I hardly ever listen to our own materials once we've recorded them. Especially our podcasts. My loss. Because yesterday, after receiving a...
READ MORELast Sunday night my friend Darrell Evans (worship leader; we use his music a lot at our retreats) was playing in town and Stasi and I had been looking forward to it. Even bought tickets in advance.
But then the weekend took its usual toll...
READ MOREToday we remember the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Smoke billowing from the Trade Center towers; their sudden collapse; the Pentagon on fire; the wreckage in a Pennsylvania field.
Remembering is a really central theme in...
READ MORESome of my blog readers aren't aware that I write a monthly newsletter (that's right, an actual letter—comes in an envelope, printed on paper, delivered by the postman. Remember letters?). So I thought I'd share this month's letter with you here...
READ MOREThis coming Sunday begins a Very Big Week for Christians. Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday is the triumph not only of Jesus Christ, but of our lives as now intertwined with his. This week is the triumph of our faith.
But some of the power of...
READ MOREStasi – my source of great worship music – just played a new song for me last night that captures something God put on our hearts in a big way these past few months. It’s called “Suddenly” (by Daniel Bashta) and the opening lines go like this:...
READ MOREWas anyone else a bit shocked last night when, in the midst of the Academy Awards, we were taken live to the White House to behold the First Lady assume the role of a presenter??!
It was very, very telling. A parable of our times.
...
READ MORE"Why, God?"
The young man was lying on the bathroom floor, in a foreign country; he had passed out and was covered with yuck. He is a beautiful young man, a friend of my sons, a follower of Christ, bright, creative, gifted. He has also...
READ MOREFriends, a few days ago I posted a blog on the Newtown massacre. Crucial as that alert is, this is even more important than that one. I need to help you pray a shield of Life around your households.
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the...
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We received a letter the other day asking a really good question about Jesus and the way he looked at life. From time to time I talk about the “assumptions” we hold about life, and God, and wonder if ours are the same assumptions Jesus...
READ MORESo, I've been captured by two verses recently. The first goes like this:
"We have this hope as an anchor of the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our...
READ MOREThis is headed in a good direction. Just wanted you to know that.
We've always made family dinners a priority (thank you, Stasi). They really are the centerpiece of a family life, the places where stories get told and life gets processed...
READ MOREI've been avoiding this blog too long. The story goes like this...
I’m a late-comer to the worshipping world.
