Guest (Page 8)
Sticktoitiveness and the Christian Life
“At some point in my childhood, someone encouraged me to develop a character trait that I was apparently missing. I don’t remember the exact context for the advice or even who presented the case, but the word used has always stuck with me. What I sorely needed was something called “sticktoitiveness.” Read more…
Scars, Cartwheels and God-Given Strength
“I believe in a God who has decreed the length of my life and lovingly numbered my days, who has counted the hairs on my head (even when there were none to count he knew the dormant follicles that would spring back to life!), and who became flesh in order to suffer in that flesh for me—so that I might look forward with joyful certainty to a new, eternal, incorruptible body.” Read more…
Five Ways to Jump Start Your Devotions
“Spending meaningful time alone with God is one of the most important aspects of the Christian life, but it is also one of the most difficult to sustain. Failure in this area, real or perceived, is common and is guilt inducing for most Christians. We give many different reasons for our struggle: it bores us, it discourages us, it’s work, we’re busy with the things we really have to do, and so on. But I suspect the vast majority of our problem…
The Sabbath: A Look Back, A Look Forward
“Christians hold various opinions concerning the place of the Sabbath for Jesus’s followers. However, I think we can all agree that consciously setting apart time to experience rest refreshes us, gives us a taste of what is to come, and it also makes us all the more conscious of the work we are called to do the remainder of the time. This too, is a reflection of a greater reality: our temporary Sabbath rests can remind us that we have…
Engaging our Emotions
“I’ve spent a great deal of time reflecting on God’s call to us to have a whole array of emotional responses to his world, from awe-filled delight (e.g., Ps. 8) to vehement hatred (e.g., Ps. 139:21–23). How can we live up to this? Does God expect us to have perfect, instantaneous control over our emotions? No. God does not stand at a distance and command emotions we can never fully attain. Instead, he meets us with countless mercies, transforming our…
Talking to our Souls
“I once thought that the psalms were sung by a fine choir in God’s throne room. Then I actually read them, and they sounded more like the words of a street troubadour who encourages the participation of those around him. Now I find that they are simply spoken and sung everywhere: in the darkness of night, in the early morning, in all the details of everyday life. And there are a handful of psalms in which the psalmists speak to themselves.…
You Really Need to Read the Bible
“Sometimes I put off or just forget to drink water. I get to lunch time after a few cups of tea and a coffee or two, and I have a headache. ‘Why?’ I ask myself. And then I remember: ‘Water, that’s it, I need water!’ Unlike anything else that I might grab in a weak or distracted moment—another coffee, a coke or a coffee frappe through the Golden Arches drive-through (true confessions here)—water never disappoints. Nothing replenishes and refreshes like…
God’s Sovereignty and Our Responsibility
“God is sovereign in creation, providence, redemption, and judgment. That is a central assertion of Christian belief and especially in Reformed theology. God is King and Lord of all. To put this another way: nothing happens without God’s willing it to happen, willing it to happen before it happens, and willing it to happen in the way that it happens. Put this way, it seems to say something that is expressly Reformed in doctrine. But at its heart, it is…
A Mid-Year Bible-Reading Checkup (Don’t Give Up!)
“Six months ago many of us were excited to kick off the year with a new Bible-reading plan. We had the plan printed out and the Bible laid open and the time set aside. We began with a lot of discipline and enthusiasm. But along the way, life happened. We missed a day here and there, then missed a week, then realised we had fallen far behind. Now, halfway through the year, many of us have given up and are…
You Are Not That Special – The Glory of Ordinary Christianity
“This is where we need to hear a clear, and sometimes forceful, voice say, in love, You are not that special. You are not an exception to the basic laws and ordinances of human society, and as a Christian, you are not an exception to the ordinary means and patterns of the Christian life. You are not a cut above the rank-and-file in the world, and especially in the church. You are not exceptional in the ways you like to tell…