Count is all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds… –James 1:2 Growing up I remember that my dad really enjoyed storms. When it was thundering and lightning outside, my brothers and I used to join him on the front porch to watch the rain. To this day, I love a good storm as long as I’m in a safe place – as long as I’m not in the ... [Continue Reading]
What Word Would You Choose?
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. –James 1:1a I got to thinking about something the other day: what word would you choose to describe your relationship with God? Uncertain? Distant? Follower? It’s interesting to me that Jesus’ brother, James, chose the word “servant.” He really had a big list of words he could ... [Continue Reading]
Join us for the Hunger Games at Community Church!
If you're looking for something to do on Sunday mornings in August and you're near Greensburg or Batesville, Indiana, come join us at Community Church for our series: Catching Fire in Today's Hunger Games! I'm thrilled to be speaking for all four weeks of the series. I hope to see you there! Greensburg Campus:1427 W. Vandalia Rd.Greensburg, IN ... [Continue Reading]
A Short Blogging Vacation
Starting August 1, 2011, I began my second chronological read-through of the Bible while blogging my entire journey! I'm so grateful for those of you who have read along with me. The discipline has been incredibly rewarding and tiring, so I'm giving myself a few days off to rest. Starting August 1, 2012, I will begin blogging again with various ... [Continue Reading]
Restore Us (Psalms 82-83, 137, 126)
God, we have fallen away from you and away from the things of you. In our world of busyness, we have allowed the noise of technology to overpower your voice, and we have made amusement our first priority over spending time with you. Please restore us, Lord. Restore us to the place where we first found you – when we were in awe of you and when we ... [Continue Reading]
Beyond the Requests (Psalms 134, 146-150)
I’m not sure what your daily prayers are like, but many of mine come down to asking God for things. Typically they hover around “bless me,” “help me,” or “give me.” In each one of those prayers, the idea is that I am lacking and that I want God to help make up my deficit. These aren’t necessarily wrong prayers, but if they’re all that I pray, then I’m ... [Continue Reading]
The Lamp (Psalms 119:89-176; 136)
One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Psalm 119:105 where we read that God’s word is a lamp to our feet. A better rendering of “lamp” might be “lantern” because it gives a clearer image of what a lamp from that time period actually was. It was not a flashlight that illuminated a large area in front. Rather, a lamp shed light on a 2-3 foot radius ... [Continue Reading]
The Other Side of Grace (Psalms 119:1-88; 72)
Grace is a wonderful thing. It truly is the unearned joy of the Christian life because you can never behave so badly that you lose it, nor can you behave so good that you deserve it. Grace, by its very nature, does not demand anything from us; it is simply granted when we choose to trust in Christ’s death for the forgiveness of our sins. When we accept ... [Continue Reading]
Delighting in God (Psalms 37, 71, 94)
Over the past several years I have been seeking to perfect my recipe for grilled pizza. I have been a pizza lover ever since I can remember, and I’ve always enjoyed grilling food, too. So it seemed like a natural progression to put the pizza on the grill. It was an awful mess the first time, but it has improved as I’ve learned better dough recipes and ... [Continue Reading]
THIS is the Day (Psalms 121, 111-118)
I’ll never forget one day I had in Brazil when utter frustration consumed me. To be honest, I don’t remember exactly what the frustrations were, but I know I was mad about something and it was taking over my thoughts. I was driving from our apartment to the school where we were teaching, and I was reminded of a song I learned a long time ago that was written ... [Continue Reading]
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