Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. — 1 Thessalonians 5:11 I have a friend who recently participated in a five-mile mud run. Now, this is not one of those “I have a friend who” stories that is meant to mask the fact that I’m secretly…
Pots, Pans, and the Presence of God
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. — 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 If the name Brother Lawrence sounds familiar, it’s not because he’s Joey’s brother. He was a medieval monk who served in the monastery kitchen, and he learned to “practice the presence of…
Desperate for Immanuel
Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. — Psalm 142:6 Years ago, when my second daughter, Morgan, was about two years old, I arrived home from my church office early one afternoon I was eager to spend a…
Obedience: Simple, But Not Easy
[Jesus] said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.” — Luke 5:4–5 There’s no reason to think that Simon Peter’s response to Jesus was…
Better Than GPS
Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps. — Jeremiah 10:23 I have a GPS on my phone, but I rarely use it. I usually tend to think I know where I’m going, even when I don’t. For the most part, every time I…
Anyone: The Open Invitation from Jesus
The journey from fan to follower begins by identifying the fan within us. To help us do that we have stepped into the scenes of different encounters Jesus had with people during His time on earth. Inevitably Jesus would put them in a position where they had to define their relationship with Him. Was it…
Rules or Relationship
Jesus gives a number of indicators that the outside has become more important than the inside. The first one comes in Matthew 23:13 where we read: Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let…
Total Surrender
I was at the gym last summer on one of the elliptical machines that faces the window. I was looking out at the parking lot and watching the people come in for a workout before heading home for the day. After a few minutes a guy pulls up and gets out of his car. He’s…