“Good Christians do their daily devotions.” That teaching puts pressure and guilt on people! It also generates a bifurcated life in which I meet with God for awhile and then I go off and live my life without God. We need to get free of “Quiet Time guilt” Dallas Willard says. Doing away with a…
Paul uses 70 expressions of joy in his short letter to the Philippians! Seventy! Reading them infects us with his “good virus” of devotion to Jesus. To joy in Jesus is the best way to start our day and our New Year. It’s a surprising joy that Paul exudes. Outwardly, he has no reason to…
Probably you read the Bible often, but you may not know how to draw life from it. Most people who read the Bible, just read it like any other book. “The Bible is the book of your life,” Ray Ortlund, Sr. said to me. “You need to find yourself and your calling in God’s Word.”…
Our great need right now is to have our hearts warmed by God’s love. This is what makes us happy and fruitful! Most everyday pastors seek my care and counsel. Is there a difference if I listen well or listen well with the love of God in my heart? Does it make a difference if…
Our greatest need is to be connected in loving relationships, but often we experience disconnects with people we were counting on. Rejection. Anger. Judgment. Being overlooked. These are examples of relational ruptures that hurt our heart and misshape our soul — especially in childhood. Increasingly as we grow up we contribute to the damage. (Relationships…
I’m often asked by pastors and others what I think about “mysticism.” Usually someone in their church has encountered this and has expressed concern that it is not Biblical. I know pastors in conservative Bible churches who have been harshly criticized, even run out of their pulpit, for encouraging “contemplative prayer” or the reading of “spiritual…
“St Francis’ Prayer Inspired By the Our Father” is one of his best writings, but it’s little known. It’s based on his meditation of the Lord’s Prayer.
When I “stole” Kristi’s heart in college during a Valentine’s Day game I had no idea how God would bless me! My story is not as much about romance as genuine love. True love is the will-good-for-others kind of love; it’s the love of deep-spirited friendship; it’s 1 Corinthians 13 love that’s patient and kind;…
Featuring excerpts from The Joy of Following Jesus by J. Oswald Sanders Paul says, “It is my constant ambition to please Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:9) Or “I make it a point of honor to please Christ.” My heart leaps in response! Yes, me too! I want to please the Lord in all I do! Recently,…
What’s it like to have crazy fun with Jesus? Look at Chicago Cubs baseball fans this October and you’ll see!