It was a defining moment when I faced my fear of failing and looking foolish in the most important purpose of my life. Before I tell you that story let’s chat a bit about success and failure. We all want to be a success. We want to make a positive difference for God and for…
Brennan Manning insisted “the God-revelation of Jesus” removes fear and worry. Yet, he also admitted to a fear of abandonment going back to his childhood. Worse, at the end of his life, in his memoir All is Grace, Manning confessed: “I’ve been a priest, then an ex-priest. Husband, then ex-husband. Amazed crowds one night and…
Into my thirties I was under pressure to perform, be ideal, help everyone, and control outcomes. It added up to lots of anxiety! I needed a lot of empathy from others and retraining of my mind and body. I did deep soul work in my own psychotherapy. And I started learning how to actually live each…
In the first Advent God keeps saying, “Fear not!” It’s a word we need to hear today too. Zechariah and Elizabeth were told that after decades of waiting they’d finally have a child in their old age. (Luke 1:5-25) But “Don’t fear being disappointed again.” Mary was a young, unmarried woman who was impregnated with…
We all want to experience more peace and we all go about it the wrong way: we withdraw from difficult things. But this weakens us. If you or someone you love struggles with anxiety then you know exactly how this works. When you keep avoiding a situation you’re afraid or stressed by it provides momentary relief,…
What do you do when you’re afraid? What helps you to face your fears and endure pain? Recently I faced fear and pain when I went through a colonoscopy without sedation or anesthesia. The nurses kept trying to talk me into letting them give me medicine. The doctor said the pain level would be close…
One year ago today I realized a lifelong dream and finished the Boston Marathon. One hour ago today for tens of thousands of runners and over a million friends and family their dream became a nightmare. I’ve already received messages from people who are concerned for me. Thankfully, I did not run the Boston Marathon this…
Much of my life I (Kristi) have struggled to Trust God fully. I’d read verses like Psalm 91:10, “No harm will befall you” and I’d think about the suffering in our world and in my life and conclude, “Those are nice words but they don’t seem to be always true.” Nine years ago I was really…
A couple of hours ago Kristi and I got a text message from one of our teenage daughters, “There’s a shooting here at Fashion Island! PRAY!” Immediately we huddled and prayed, crying out the God of Angel Armies in Jesus’ name to protect our daughter and thousands of other people from yet another crazy gunman.…
One year when I was a boy a bad tornado was approaching our home in suburban Chicago. I was watching the weather reports on television with my parents and younger sisters. This was something we were used to doing in the spring or summer. But I realized that this time was different when my Dad…