It has been pretty tough around here trying to walk in the footsteps of Jesus when the everyday stuff of life includes: — Physical challenges: Near 100° temperatures at the time when trees need the hard ground around them tilled up so they can receive precious, fruit-producing nutrients; minor surgeries Read more…
Why a dishwater disciple? Not because my favorite place to be is up to my wrists in soapy water and dinner fragments, but because, if following Jesus is not more common in my life than dishwater, it is worthless. He lived the life of a common human and called run-of-the-mill Read more…
No, I am not aiming at the extra pounds around my middle, but at what the Amplified Bible calls encumbrance. (Not everything that gets in the way of following Jesus is sin.) I am weary this morning, and a bit achy. A mountain of work awaits me, with no end in Read more…
Why do I follow Jesus every day in the everyday? Jesus, You are my treasure. In You I have all I need; Without You, nothing is supplied. Through You I have peace; Apart from You nothing rests. Near You I am safe, protected; Far from You, everything threatens destruction. Read more…
I am not talking about the choice to forgive. There are plenty of voices calling us to forgive…the Holy Spirit, our consciences, Christian writers; even people with no connection to God know that hanging on to bitterness when offended is not a good plan: ulcers, high blood pressure, adrenal fatigue. Read more…
The walls were thick and high. The conquest insurmountable. The opposition large and fierce. The defenses intractable. Sound familiar? I could be talking about a strong-willed toddler or teenager, or a persistent sinful thought pattern. I might be talking about a job God has called me to do, about the Read more…
Instead, they were longing for a better country – a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. – Hebrews 11:16 God has led us to some faith-stretching places — places where His direct provision was Read more…
The message was addressed to the students I help to mentor, but I am consistently listening for what God has for me. The book was Ephesians. The challenge was to stretch our faith by letting go of something and taking hold of its replacement, by the power only God can Read more…
Part of me wants to apologize for not putting out a post last week. Part of me hopes you didn’t notice and the rest of me hopes you all were desperate to hear from me…Yeah, so there’s that. The bottom line is: this is supposed to be a glimpse into Read more…
Following Jesus every day in the everyday is sometimes a glorified housekeeping job… There are enough different uses of the word “house” in Scripture that when, as a New Testament believer, I encounter Old Testament passages about God’s house, I have to ask the Holy Spirit for understanding about what Read more…