The Basics: GOD. You. Jesus. Faith, Chapter 2: GOD
Discover how embracing God’s presence can transform life’s challenges into opportunities for hope, joy, and divine strength.
Jesus is God’s greatest gift
Sometimes you need about 40 years to really understand a Bible passage. That’s what happened with me and James 1:17. Ever since I was a kid, I knew the wonderful words from Jesus’ half brother James: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father” (James 1:17). First as a teenager, […]
God hates abuse
A man came to my office and confessed to me that he had been abusive with his girlfriend. After expressing my grave concern for his behavior, I told the man what I would tell any seemingly repentant sinner—Jesus forgives you. Although there would be consequences for his actions, Jesus had taken away his eternal condemnation. […]
Prayer 101: A basic conversation guide for a deeper prayer life
A couple years back, someone told me about a theory that says there are three basic types of conversations: Me/Me conversations: A conversation that involves me bringing up something about me in order to talk more about me. You/Me conversations: A conversation that involves me bringing up something about you in order to talk more […]
A Valentine from Jesus
Valentine’s Day . . . bleh! My first experience with love’s missed arrow happened in high school. In the cafeteria, a Valentine’s booth took floral orders for almost a week before the big event. Valentine’s Day revealed the chosen few proudly carrying wilting flowers all day long. Ugh, the shame of empty hands. For good […]
Let’s make heaven crowded!
Recently, every member of my family got sick. It was an awful, helpless feeling watching my kids burning with fevers and coughing so hard they threw up. It was made even worse when I also fell ill. As I tried to soothe my wailing toddler in the middle of the night, I felt like wailing […]
Why are you worthy?
The other day I was meditating on these words of Jesus: “Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Luke 12:7). Curious, I opened up Google images (the website that has all the pictures) and typed in “worthy.” Instantly, my screen was filled with two very distinct types of images. Want to guess […]
Praise him in the hallway
When someone shuts a door in your face, it’s unpleasant. Momentum is broken. Communication is shut down. What to do? Pound on the door and protest? Slump in the hallway and sulk? Turn and walk away? When God closes a door, it isn’t pleasant either. When he shuts the door on your careful plans, your […]