Daily Reading
March 25, 2026
Now — to find God, I have to look where God is. This might help folks who report that God “seems distant,” or as a friend recently commented (with a touch of cynicism), “He doesn’t seem to come around much.” If I want to find a hawk I look up in the ...
Daily Reading
March 24, 2026
The way to render a man happy, is to engage him with an object that will make him forget his private troubles. — PascalDon't be fooled by the apparent innocence of the object you've chosen as an idol; what is the function of it? Most of our idols als...
Daily Reading
March 23, 2026
I was reading the prophet Jeremiah a few weeks ago when I ran across a passage that referred to God as "the Lord Almighty." To be honest, it didn't resonate. There's something too religious about the phrase; it sounds churchy, sanctimonious. The Lawd...
Daily Reading
March 22, 2026
I think everyone prays at some point in their life, even if they’re not sure someone is listening. And I’ll bet that one of the most common prayers goes something like, Lord help me; give me strength.I really like that prayer. It has a genuine humili...
Daily Reading
March 21, 2026
Years ago some kind soul sent me a book on the devil. It was rather dated, from the 1960s I believe, complete with little caricature drawings of Satan as our adversary. I’m ashamed to admit my first thought was, I know plenty about spiritual warfare;...
Daily Reading
March 20, 2026
Spiritual warfare often tries to work like a computer virus — it loves to transfer around to as many people as it can, infecting whole households or even churches. You can witness this with great clarity when you are standing outside of it. You will ...
Daily Reading
March 19, 2026
You can tell a lot about a person by his effect on others. What is Jesus like to be around? What is the aftertaste he leaves in your mouth? Is this someone you’d want to take a long car ride with? We saw Zacchaeus’ reaction. Here are two more, from p...
Daily Reading
March 18, 2026
To be a human being is to be stained glass—beautiful in our brokenness, but a collection of many parts nonetheless. Someone once wrote, “You are every age you have ever been.” They were speaking poetically but also naming something literal. You are s...
Daily Reading
March 17, 2026
Written centuries ago by St. Patrick, this is a profound and simple prayer for protection. We find ourselves returning to again and again:I arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity. Through belief in the threeness, Through...
Daily Reading
March 16, 2026
Jesus sustains all creation by the mighty power of his command. Obviously, or Satan would have torn all creation to pieces long ago. Jesus—through whom all things were made—is currently, at this moment, holding all things together; he sustains all cr...
Daily Reading
June 23, 2026
You will reign, dear ones, over glorious kingdoms and realms within the great and glorious kingdom of our Father—a role we certainly need some preparation for. In another favorite Narnia story, The Horse and His Boy, the lost prince of Archenland is ...
Daily Reading
June 22, 2026
Camels have an Achilles’ heel. But their vulnerability is hidden by their legendary resilience: these famous “ships of the desert” have been crossing dune seas since before the time of Abraham. The stamina and strength of camels is truly impressive —...
Daily Reading
June 21, 2026
I am here to tell you that you can get your heart back. But I need to warn you — if you want your heart back, if you want the wound healed and your strength restored and to find your true name, you’re going to have to fight for it. Notice your reacti...
Daily Reading
June 20, 2026
You may recall the story Jesus told of the man who entrusted three of his servants with thousands of dollars (literally, “talents”), urging them to handle his affairs well while he was away. When he returned, he listened eagerly to their reports. The...
Daily Reading
June 19, 2026
God calls us to run away to Him, not from Him. He asks us to not fix our gaze on other people’s lives and compare them to our own but to look to Him for the source of our worthy life. He asks us to find our rest in Him. He is our resting place. When ...
Daily Reading
June 18, 2026
Many awful things have been done with the doctrine of hell. “You’ll go to hell for that” has been used to condemn all sorts of things that God does not condemn. You know… “Don’t smoke, don’t chew, don’t go with girls who do.” Furthermore, those who h...
Daily Reading
June 17, 2026
The book "Killing Lions" is a conversation between John and Sam Eldredge about the trials young men face.A man whose identity flows out of deep validation doesn’t wilt under criticism. He enjoys applause when it comes but frankly isn’t desperate for ...
Daily Reading
June 16, 2026
There’s a passage in the book of Hebrews we don’t like very much.“Although he was a son”—it is speaking about Jesus Christ–“he learned obedience from what he suffered” (5:8).Dang. If Jesus needed to learn through suffering, well, it just doesn’t leav...
Daily Reading
June 15, 2026
One of the deepest ways a woman bears the image of God is in her mystery. By mystery we don't mean "forever beyond your knowing," but "something to be explored." "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter," says the book of Proverbs, "to search out ...
Daily Reading
June 14, 2026
The book "Killing Lions" is a conversation between John and Sam Eldredge about the trials young men face.Almost all initiation rituals handed down for centuries involved physical trials for young men. After finishing their training in a secret valley...
Daily Reading
June 13, 2026
Intimate and personal justice will be granted to us as well.You have suffered very specific wrongs over the course of your life; God is fully aware of every one of them. Jesus your King will make sure they are addressed with very specific reparations...
Daily Reading
June 12, 2026
The heart is central. That I would even need to remind you of this only shows how far we have fallen from the life we were meant to live—or how powerful the spell has been. The subject of the heart is addressed in the Bible more than any other topic—...
Daily Reading
June 11, 2026
We've exchanged that great hymn "Onward, Christian Soldiers" for a subtle but telling substitute, a song that is currently being taught to thousands of children in Sunday school each week, which goes something like this (sung in a very happy, upbeat ...
Daily Reading
June 10, 2026
The only fatal error is to pretend that we have found the life we prize. To mistake the water hole for the sea. To settle for the same old thing. Christopher Fry called such a life “the sleep of prisoners.” The most tragic day of all is to prefer sla...
Daily Reading
June 9, 2026
I am letting you in on a wonderful secret.What happens when God comes and releases us from long-held fears or fears that have long held us? What happens when we surrender fear to God and invite his love to overwhelm it? What is on the other side of f...
Daily Reading
June 8, 2026
Late into the night, early in the morning, walking down the road, in the middle of his supper, at home, abroad, Jesus offers. His time, his words, his touch, flowing like the wine at Cana. To appreciate the reality of it all, remember, this is not Su...
Daily Reading
June 7, 2026
“Nothing dangerous is happening here.” Incredible. What a self-indictment. Those men have already been taken out because they’ve swallowed the Enemy’s first line of attack: “I’m not here—this is all just you.” You can’t fight a battle you don’t think...
Daily Reading
June 6, 2026
We all—men and women—were created in the image of God. Fearfully and wonderfully made, fashioned as living icons of the bravest, wisest, most stunning Person who ever lived. Those who have ever seen him fell to their knees without even thinking about...
Daily Reading
June 5, 2026
Will we do it perfectly? Of course not. Friends, let’s set perfection aside. We are on our way, we are being transformed, but the moment we insist on total perfection we set ourselves up for bitter disappointment. Sin shall not be our master, because...
Daily Reading
June 4, 2026
I remember a conversation I had as a therapist with a young mother. She came to see me not because of some crisis, but in tears nevertheless over the passage of her children’s childhood right before her eyes. “These are such precious, precious days,”...