Serve like Rambo
The people I have the privilege of working with in area sober living homes remind me of the movie Rambo. In Rambo: First Blood Part II, John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) is a Vietnam vet who returns courageously to prisoner of war camps to free other POWs. The residents I meet are tasting the freedom of […]
Navigating the gray areas of life
I love being told what to do. Life would be so much easier if someone would tell me who I could hang out with, what I should think about the world, and how I ought to go about my life. In short, I want my life to be black and white. I think many people […]
God’s love never changes
The mother with the grocery list said, “Do you want to stay in the car with Dad?” The child yelled, “No! Yes! Wait! No! OK, I’ll go into the store with you, Mom.” The father was dumbfounded that in 3.2 seconds the child changed his mind so many times so quickly. Change … Our world […]
Be you!* (Part 6)
The Bible frequently tells us, “Be you!”* Be the unique you whom God made you to be. And make sure you remember the asterisk, the terms and conditions that God applies. No one does that quite like Jesus did. Jesus was absolutely himself. When his family wanted him to calm down with his claims to […]
Be you!* (Part 5)
When I was back in grad school, I had an older professor who admitted, “I used to pray that God would protect me from my weaknesses. Now I pray that God would protect me from my strengths.” The older I get, the more I understand what he meant. It’s hard not to let good things […]
Be you!* (Part 4)
Modern culture has an infatuation with the phrase, “Be you!” In a way, these cultural voices are on to something, since God uniquely designed us and individually gifted us (read Romans 12:4-6). But to be thorough and biblical, it would be better to say, “Be you!”* Don’t forget the asterisk. Don’t forget the terms and […]
Be you!* (Part 1)
What do the movies Moana, Mulan, Brave, Beauty and the Beast, Coco, and Aladdin have in common? The moral of those stories is almost exactly the same—Be you. Moana, your father wants you to be an island manager, but you are an ocean explorer—be you! Miguel, your family wants you to make the best shoes […]
Rest and reset
Is it really a Happy New Year for you? I mean, we all hope for one, but the reality is that you might want to replace the H with a Cr. Maybe it’s because you’re starting off with a Stressed New Year, a Burned-Out New Year, an Exhausted New Year, a Health-Challenged New Year, an […]