We come into the world with a longing to be known and a deep-seated fear that we aren't what we should be. We are set up for a crisis of identity.
And then, says Frederick Buechner, the world goes to work: Starting with the rather...
We come into the world with a longing to be known and a deep-seated fear that we aren't what we should be. We are set up for a crisis of identity.
And then, says Frederick Buechner, the world goes to work: Starting with the rather...
The human soul is a place of profound mysteries. God is a person of infinite creativity. He can do this any way he wants. Sometimes he goes straight for the wound or the brokenness. Having had that healed, we find it far easier to resist the...
READ MOREMental resilience begins when we decide to take hold of our thought life.
Navy SEAL training includes teaching the recruits positive self-talk. Apparently we say something like three hundred to one thousand words to ourselves every...
What makes the Day of Judgment so unnerving is that all our posing and all our charades will be pulled back, all secrets will be made known, and our Lord will "expose the motives of men's hearts" (1 Cor. 4:5, emphasis added).
...
READ MOREIt’s human nature to want our problems to simply go away. Be honest now — how many of us have heard a troubling tick, tick, tick or thump, thump, thump coming from the general direction of our car’s engine or transmission and...
READ MOREBe strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous ... Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be...
READ MOREJesus’ movement will disrupt the Jewish system very, very profoundly. He is going to turn things upside down and inside out. The world will never be the same. Literally. But there is a precision to his every move.
He will not be...
The longing for things to be good again is making us vulnerable to all sorts of compromises. I can help you with this.
First, let’s remove the shock and shame of those moments when hard-pressed you suddenly rages, binges, goes...
Sunlight on water.
Songbirds in a forest.
Desert sands under moonlight.
Vineyards just before harvest.
These all share something in common — they reflect the heart of a particular artist. They are his...
READ MOREThe fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. (1 Corinthians 3:13–14)
You know your every sin is forgiven. So if you can remove all fear of exposure...
We have lived for so long with a "propositional" approach to Christianity, we have nearly lost its true meaning. As Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen says, "Much of it hinges on your view of scripture. Are you playing proof-text poker with Genesis plus...
READ MOREWhatever else it means to be human, we know beyond doubt that it means to be relational. Aren’t the greatest joys and memories of your life associated with family, friendship, or falling in love? Aren’t your deepest wounds somehow...
READ MOREDare we forget King David? Yes, his passions got him in a heap of trouble—and gave us our book of worship, the Psalms. Sure, Peter was a hotheaded disciple always quick with a reply. Remember in the Garden of Gethsemane—he's the one who...
READ MOREWorry is only one of a hundred things that burden our souls. Genuine concern is just as dangerous, maybe more so because it’s grounded in something noble — your concerns for your aging parents, a sick friend, a people group, a cause crying out...
READ MOREThe poet Yeats wrote,
If I make the lashes dark
And the eyes more bright
And the lips more scarlet,
Or ask if all be right
From mirror after mirror
No vanity's displayed:
I'm looking for the face I...
God drops things in our laps at just the right time. He puts barriers in our paths that look like roadblocks but are really gifts in disguise, beckoning us to take a closer look at what’s going on inside of us. We can either step over them or...
READ MOREFor this people's heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and...
One of the most crippling convictions held by believers today is the idea that everything that happens is the will of God. It is a poisonous belief that will destroy your confidence in God; you will end up believing terrible things about him. The...
READ MORE"Don't be afraid of embracing the disappointment you feel, old or new. Don't be scared of the unreasonable joy either. They're the highway markers home."
We snort with disdain at such quaint sentiments, and our choice made,...
Something is happening to the human heart. You need to understand what it is if you would make sense of any of this.
Human beings are by nature ravenous creatures; a famished craving haunts every one of us. We were created for...
READ MORE