When Nobody Else Listens, God Listens
“The answers to our deepest questions are not found in having just anyone who can hear and see our urgent need. Lovato already had plenty of people listening to her “hundred million songs.” What she, and all of us, need is the One who listens to our cries, who is concerned, and who gathers us into his community—a genuine community that learns to truly listen and care for one another. We need this One who leads us out of prison-like isolation and into his kingdom of…
How to Stop Hating Yourself
“So, let’s talk to this Lord. Let’s spend time in the presence of One who feels sympathy for us, and keep on approaching Him, boldly and with hope. Through Jesus, we can learn to be who we are — who God sees us to be. We can begin to speak back to self-hatred and to lies. We can shelter forever in the warmth of His unchanging love.” Read more…
A Master at Identifying Sin
“I am a master at identifying sin. I might be tempted to brag about that fact, except for this: While I’m a master at identifying the sin in other people, I’m a mere novice at identifying the sin in myself. And I don’t think I’m the only one. There seems to be something deeply embedded in sinful humanity that gives us the ability to spot the sin in others but to ignore it in ourselves. We can provide a thorough…
Should We Expect Our Jobs to Make Us Happy?
“It’s always exciting when you see an announcement on social media of someone starting a new job. For the first few weeks they’ll post regularly about how thrilled they are about this “new adventure” and how great their co-workers are, sharing pictures from the new office. Then, over the next few weeks, the posts will slow to a trickle then dry up completely. This is what I like to call the “Expense Report Pivot”—the moment when reality has set in…
Rejection
“No matter how it happens, rejection is hard to overcome. And the closer the relationship, the deeper the anguish. The pain can be so intense that sometimes our bodies even feel the ache of it. I do not know about you, but when the feelings are fresh, they can deprive me of peace. I search through the rubble of the relationship and wonder, was it something I said? Did? Or didn’t do? Why don’t they engage me anymore? What about…
God the Patient Gardener
““I would give up, were it not for this thought: my God is a patient gardener. He will finish the work he has started. He will not abandon us in the dirt.” Read more…
The Monotony of the Wilderness: Are You Just Marking Time?
“What is God’s calling for you on this ordinary day? Perhaps it’s unbegrudgingly making breakfast for your kids. Or patiently dealing with an interruption as you try to work from home. Or confessing your sin when you were impatient in the midst of that interruption. Or spending hours on the phone trying to secure unemployment benefits. Or video chatting over dinner with a single friend who is home alone. Or walking the dog. Or doing the dishes. Or struggling through…
The Local Church Was Made To Serve The Christian, Not The Christian The Local Church
“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. Sabbath is a gift God has given us for our good. We are feeble creatures who need rest, yet foolish creatures who would otherwise work ourselves to the bone. The sabbath is a reminder of our weakness, of our finiteness, of our inability. It is a reminder of all of these in a physical sense and, more ultimately, in a spiritual sense, for so much of what is true…
Enjoying Imperfection
“Only God does all things perfectly. In a world that has written God out of the story, we have written ourselves into the role of perfection-attainment. And it is killing us—our dusty little frames, our finite abilities can’t handle it. It’s not that we shouldn’t ever aim to be the best—it’s about what we do when we fall short. And what failing does to us. It’s realising that not all things need to be the ‘best’, but can simply be enjoyed…
The fear of the Lord… for today?
“We aim for something similar with the Lord. The better we know him, the more we see an intensity of love and majesty, of mercy, and infinite power. From his throne comes both gentleness and “flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder” (Rev 4:5). And you can’t decide whether to fall down and worship or rush in and touch him. You do both. That’s fear of the Lord for today.” Read more…