Fear is not a feeling that most of us enjoy. We avoid the uncertainty, vulnerability, and powerlessness that often make up that emotion. Fear of an opponent can become a mental barrier that keeps us from winning, and fear of failure can keep us from reaching our potential and pursuing our dreams. Fear can get […]
WHAT DOES DISCIPLESHIP MEAN?
On what Jesus means by "come and follow me"
When I became a Christian, I didn’t know what discipleship was, and in all honesty, years after giving my heart to the Lord, I still didn’t. After five years as a follower of Jesus, the senior pastor of my church took me under his wing. He was an example of a mature Christian in my […]
THE ART OF SUFFERING
On personal pain and large scale suffering
Over the past several years I’ve started learning from the wisdom of people who have suffered and weathered some of the roughest storms of life. These people come from backgrounds different from my own. This wisdom has brought new sets of questions for me about the nature of pain and suffering and the place of […]
Choosing Wisely
Weighing the influence of culture and Christ in our everyday decisions
I was 15 minutes early for my hair appointment and had some time to kill when a handsome mall salesman lured me over to his kiosk with the promise of a free gift. I instinctively reached for the little packet he waved in front of my face, prepared to snatch it and dart away. But […]
When Life Throws You Off Track
How to turn a derailment into a destination
In high school, I missed sixty days in one semester because of illness. Previously an ‘A’ student, I was flunking out of high school and was threatened with repeating my junior year. I was transferred to an independent study program where I graduated with a class of four other people: a teen mom, a recovering […]
The Grapes of Wrath
When does anger become a sin?
Many Christians may have questions concerning what is sinful compared to what is only bad manners. The topic of anger is one of those areas in question. Is all anger sinful or is there such a thing as righteous anger (anger for a good reason)? Is feeling angry ever okay for a believer? Psychologist Robert […]
In a Field Longing to Be Fed
A look at the parable of the prodigal son
The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10), and at nineteen, I was utterly lost. Jesus found me on Friday, March 12, 2004 at 4:10 PM. I encountered him face to face in a vision. Shortly after I became a Christian I moved to California to grow in my […]
ON JUDGING LESS
Five concepts to a healthier perspective
“The world is not simply divided between judgmental and nonjudgmental people,” writes Terry D. Cooper in his book Making Judgments Without Being Judgmental. If you think it is, you’re caught in the very vortex of black-and-white thinking from which judgmentalism is spun. The reasons we judge, versus the reasons we are judgmental, are as deeply […]
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
On the importance of baptism
I buried my ninety-seven-year-old grandmother this week. I didn’t get to say goodbye while she was still living. As she lay in her casket, the struggle finally out of her body, I placed my hand on hers and told her, one last time, I loved her. Her last words to me, to her family, to […]
FORGIVING FAILURE
Lessons in abandoning the pressures of an all-too-well-behaved lifestyle
I love to have everything set up perfectly before beginning a project. Whether it is painting, writing, studying, or even reading a good book, I like to feel equipped and prepared, I like to have my house clean and my space and mind to be clutter free. I want the perfect ambiance, the perfect music […]