If we really took the directions from scriptures as commands and good counsel, we would likely be more committed to self-improvement. Not so much with physical conditioning and weight loss, but more about concern for the spiritual health of ourselves and others. Do you believe it’s your responsibility to help build and maintain a healthy…

She didn’t want to talk about husbands. Having 5 husbands was bad enough and now living in a “shack up” situation wasn’t an image builder either. But . . . Jesus masterfully exposed the truth as He unveils one woman’s life. Are you familiar with the story in John 4? This woman’s life was scandalous.…

Doubting Thomas. That’s what we call him. But let’s not be too hard on Thomas. We’re often more like him than we’d care to admit. We may have no doubt that Jesus is God, the very Son of God and has risen from the dead. Yet we waver in our faith over things that are…

What hangs in the balance of your one small step of obedience? It could be quite surprising. It may be something grand in scale. It may be something unrecognized by humankind. But every opportunity, every potential step of faith has rich potential and is significant to God. That’s part of why our faith journey with…

“Because you say so, I will . . . . .” Isn’t that the response we would love to hear from our children? Whether it makes sense to them at the time. Whether it goes against their first impulse. Whether it is a momentary inconvenience or sacrifice. Whether it seems like a waste of time…

In most team sports, being on the field implies your participation is integral to the success of your team. This may not be a perfect analogy, but I remember playing Pee Wee Baseball and early Little League. Fewer balls made it to right field, so the kid planted there was often more preoccupied with chasing butterflies…

Man’s plans are often a roadmap to shattered dreams. Surely it is within our human nature to dream, to set goals and make plans. Following the conception of such ideas, we begin to give form and structure to our new “baby,”concentrating thought upon it and allocating resources of time, talent and treasure in the expectation of…

Warning! These words sound harsh, but perhaps all of us who claim to be Christ-followers could use a “heart check” as Chip Ingram suggests. In his book God: As He Longs for You to See Him, writes : “Ask yourself this question: If I continue to live for ten, thirty or fifty years with the same priorities, the same use…

What does the fact that Jesus was attracted to sinners say about him?That wasn’t meant as a rhetorical question. Actually think about how Jesus conducted himself in interactions with regular folks . . .  the ones who were“good,” the ones who thought they were “good,” and the ones who knew they weren’t so “good.” After all, this is “God in a bod” interacting with mere mortals who in actuality…

When you say you “follow” Jesus, are you hanging onto his coattails or straining to see his tail lights? It’s really easy, isn’t it, to say “I am a Christian!” Do you know why? It’s because each of us has a different definition of what a “Christian” is. Just take the question to 100 people on the streets and you’ll…

Hello, God. Are you out there? One of the more frustrating aspects of living life as a follower of God is that he is totally “other,”  unlike anything or anyone we know, and we cannot adequately compare Him to any earthly standard. That’s probably a good thing in that we ought not worship a “super US,”but troubling to…

Better “NOT” call Saul. When I think of King Saul and the record of his “accomplishments” in 1 Samuel, I can’t help be reminded of the TV comedy series “Coach” which aired from 1989-1997 and the brawny, inept, clueless Assistant Coach called Dauber. You might recall the prophet Samuel anointed Saul king after Israel pleaded with him. Israel was willing…