The best time to prune
Get out your pruning shears! According to horticulturalists, spring is the best time to prune a tree so that it maintains its structural integrity. You’ll want to trim it back before the growing season—nip it in the bud, so to speak. Failure to do so will produce a gangly tree that is prone to come […]
The desert will bloom
Have you ever seen the desert? The real desert? I once drove through the Mojave Desert in the middle of summer. Do you know what it’s like? Dead. Dry. Empty. Hot. No flowers. No trees. Just desolation. That lonely drive made me appreciate one of God’s promises: “The desert and the parched land will be […]
My favorite sola
One of the great catchphrases in history lingers among us in the old Latin language: sola fide (faith alone), sola scriptura (scripture alone), sola gratia (grace alone). Taken together these discreet elements are the motto of Christianity. Each is preeminent in our belief system, and yet they depend on each other. “For it is by […]
Destroy the snares
The Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land. Moses gave a series of farewell speeches that are recorded in the book of Deuteronomy, which literally means “words.” Using almost 788,280 words (the name of the book seems pretty appropriate, doesn’t it?), Moses repeated the laws for the people who had been younger than 40 […]
God works wonders
God waters our souls with nourishment, direction, and clarity in many unique ways. One evening, I sat with a group of believers, and we slowly read through the 175+ verses of Psalm 119. We took our time. We began with a bit of reluctance, as if we were about to endure a cross country race […]
Renewing our minds
You can tell a lot about a society by what they read. The first issue of LIFE magazine was published in 1936. It was a humor and general interest publication, focusing on photojournalism that captured the essence of significant world events and people. In 1923 and 1933, TIME magazine and Newsweek, respectively, hit newsstands. Each […]
Count your blessings from God
If you want to increase your level of gratitude, a habit that has incredible spiritual and emotional benefits, check out some research I recently did on everything the Bible has to say about being blessed. There are 389 passages in the Scriptures that use words like blessed or blessing, and in the Old Testament, God’s […]
Your reality
It’s interesting how perspectives can be misunderstood. Take church during a February blizzard, for example. If services are held in the snowy conditions: “How dare you expect me to drive in this!” But only a few years ago a government mandate shut the doors of churches. “How dare you take away my right to worship!” […]