How Far Away Is Heaven? As a child, I wondered where God lived in outer space and how long it would take to get there. Had I been old enough to read an astronomy textbook, I would have discovered a few statistics that would have blown me out of the water. Our solar system has…
Gratitude in Everything
John 13:6-9 Talk to anyone who has experienced an extended stay in a hospital or rehab center, and they may tell you the thing they dread most is enduring a bed bath. All of us feel a profound aversion to being bathed by someone else. It’s way too personal, too private. Taking a bath is…
The Battle for Life
When I broke my neck at the age of 17, it was earth-quaking. One moment, I was healthy, athletic, and heading to college with big dreams for a bright future… and the next? I’m a quadriplegic. Everything from toileting, bathing, to feeding myself, was out of my hands. My hopes had been shattered, and…
Faith May Move Mountains But Prayer Moves God
It’s been said that faith may move mountains, but prayer moves God. Amazing, isn’t it, that our prayers, whether grand and glorious or feeble and faint, can move the very heart of God who created the universe? To walk with God we must make it a practice to talk with God… Prayer moves God, and when God moves in…
God Has a Purpose
Exodus 8:32; Exodus 10:20 We know from James 1:13 that God does not — will not — inject the idea of evil into anyone’s heart. So how is it that we read in the book of Exodus that “the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart” so Pharaoh wouldn’t let the Israelites go? God is constantly staving off…
One Purpose: To Showcase His Glory
God created you and me for one purpose: to showcase His glory — to enjoy it, display it, and demonstrate it every day to everyone we encounter. What does it mean to put His glory on display? It means highlighting His attributes and characteristics. It means making hard choices to do the right, or righteous,…
For My Daddy Showed Me So
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. — 1 John 3:16 Several years ago Nancy wrote to tell me the deep struggles she and her husband wrestled with over placing their severely handicapped son, Brad, in a residential facility. Should they bring him home? Did the…
The Power of an Example
Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. — Philippians 3:17 One of the reasons God may have chosen Paul to write most of the New Testament is that he wanted us to know him well. The Holy Spirit may have…
Are You Picking Apart and Judging Scripture?
For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to…