Luke 3:15-18 When John began to preach in the wilderness, crowds flocked to see Him. He baptized those who confessed their sins but rebuked the pious religious leaders for their self-reliance (Matthew 3:7-10). After 400 years without a prophet, people rushed to John, wondering if he might be the Christ, the one for whom they…
Leading from the Heart: What if Jesus Were CEO of Your Company?
Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.” — Matthew 20:25-27…
A Passionate Life
When the hour came, Jesus and His apostles reclined at the table. And He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the Kingdom of God.” — Luke 22:14-16 We can’t afford to play small right…
The Secret of Every Passionate Marriage
As a marriage counselor, I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard a disgruntled husbands or wives utter the words, “I just don’t love her [him] anymore.” And as they say those words, it is as if they are waving a white flag in surrender. To them, it is the final nail in the…
Restless: What Are You Passionate About?
William Wilberforce knew his passion. He resisted it, but this passion held him captive as a young man, nearly at the same time that he became completely captivated by Jesus. He met God and wanted nothing more than to begin vocational ministry; he was convinced this was the best way to serve God. But the…
Restless: What Is Your Passion?
Threads of Passions William Wilberforce knew his passion. He resisted it, but this passion held him captive as a young man, nearly at the same time that he became completely captivated by Jesus. He met God and wanted nothing more than to begin vocational ministry; he was convinced this was the best way to serve God. But the passion that…
Passion: The Wide-Open Life
Dear, dear Corinthians, I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection.…
Trembling at His Word
I read a verse the other day that literally brought me to tears. It was Isaiah 66:2. It says, This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at My word. God says, “This is the person I’m going to look to: the one who’s…
Restless Study Week 7 — When Passion Equals Pain
In our Restless study so far, we’ve looked at our restlessness, our discontentment. We’ve looked at God’s Story. Our gifts. Our suffering. The places in our lives. The people in our lives. This week we’re looking at our passions. As Jennie conveys in her teaching, in our culture, we’ve totally stripped that word passion of its…
You Can’t Fake Passion
If we could just slow down enough to consider what’s true and real . . . Knowing yourself, finding your true purpose in life, is the essence of true and real. You have to be, before you do, to have lasting inner peace. In other words, making a living is not the same as making…