So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, and participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. — Philippians 2:1-2 Are you ready for one of the hardest, yet most…
What Do You Do When It Storms?
I never dreamed I would write a book about storms. Well, I also never dreamed I would face such tragedies but… it happened. I learned that storms are inevitable, and unfortunately they’re not a dream. A dream about a storm would be great but storms that become reality can be something else. When you experience…
Jesus Starts at the Bottom
Jesus Starts at the Bottom Picture a woman who is about to rappel down the side of a tall cliff. Before taking off down the rock’s face, she will first make certain that the rope is long enough to reach the bottom. If the top of the cliff is one hundred feet high, she is…
Remain Silent at the Right Time
Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” — Joshua 6:10 When God brought Joshua and the army of Israel to the city of Jericho, their cause seemed hopeless. The large walls…
Revelation Is About Relationship
It is in the context of our relationship with God and others that we experience love. Not only that, but love gains its power when it is shared. Out of love God created man and woman for each other. He proclaimed, It is not good for the man to be alone. — Genesis 2:18 In…
A Cleft in a Rock
A God Who Is With You When You Reach the End of Yourself Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also more hard to bear. The frequent attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden: it is easier to say “My tooth is aching” than to say “My…
What Will You Do With Your One Extraordinary Life?
I have been teaching as an adjunct professor at Pepperdine Law School for more than a decade. It’s a place filled with bright, ambitious law students, many of whom have had a lot of life break in their direction. I also teach a class at San Quentin State Prison. My class there is filled with…
Kill the Spider: Balderdash
Editor’s Note: In Kill the Spider, Carlos Whittaker deals with problems, bad habits, harmful thought patters (cobwebs) all the way down to the root issue (spider) in order to finally kill it and find freedom in Jesus. In this excerpt, he shares about his experience at a week-long therapy camp. * Remember how I told…
Upside Down
Just so you know, I wish I could take away every disappointment that nips at the edges of your happiness and sits heavy in your heart. Big and small. A past hurt or a present heartbreak. I wish we could get together in the comforts of my white kitchen with dishes in the sink and…
Get Out of Your Head Week 3 — Weapons We Use, Part I
This has been the hardest thing for me: to sit still, all alone and there’s a reason for it. Because real, connected, intimate time with Jesus is the very thing that grows our faith, shifts our minds, brings about revival in our souls, and brings about revival in our communities. And, so the devil hates…