Many Christians are stunted in their spiritual growth because they don’t understand or express their deep emotions and desires. As pastors, ministry leaders, caregivers, or parents we may get so busy or so focused on other people that we become disconnected from our own emotions and needs. But being self-aware is crucial to our abilities…
Sometimes I go to monasteries for spiritual retreats and attend some of the prayer services with the Catholic monks where they chant the Psalms. One time at Mass when I went up to the front for the Eucharist the priest shook his head and frowned, indicating that it was not okay for me as a…
My former pastor Bill Hybels did not learn how to fall safely. We all fall down in life, but have we learned to fall safely? When pastors and leaders for Christ fall unsafely it hurts them, their families, and the people they serve. As a mega church pastor with worldwide influence, Bill Hybels’ recent fall…
Most of us use our successes to hide our sense of failure. We’d be better to fail into Jesus’ arms of grace. Fail? Yes. Let me show you what it means to admit our failures and receive grace. I was a hero child. I was all about hitting home runs, getting straight A’s, and being…
Because Jesus rose from the dead we can be free of judgment and condemnation! As I shared in my confession last week I’ve been working with Jesus on my log rather than judging other people’s specks. (Matthew 7:1-5) I’m thankful for Jesus’ carpentry of the soul in my life. In his workshop I found a gem…
Have you ever walked and prayed through the Stations of the Cross at a retreat center? Or done a virtual “prayer walk” using the stories and prophecies of Christ’s passion that go with the ancient Stations? I have. Many times. It’s truly unforgettable. Divine mercy has flooded into my body and soul. The Gospel scenes…
To grow spiritually and become more loving like Jesus Christ we need to understand the stages of our development and how to resist the temptations that thwart our progress.
I’ll never forget being in Israel and getting up before dawn one morning to sit on a rock beside the Sea of Galilee. As the waves gently lap at my feet I imagine Jesus calling the fishermen Peter, Andrew, James, and John at that very spot. “Come, follow me,” Jesus says, “and I will make you fishers of men…
Some Christians are afraid of seeking to use their imagination for personal or spiritual help because they associate it with Eastern religions, secular psychology, hypnosis, or “New Age” philosophy. But there is a Biblical meditation. God has created human beings with the ability to imagine and the Bible is full of positive images and pictures…
“I grew with parents who considered themselves too intellectual for Christianity,” Vicki Paxton shared with our Soul Shepherding TLC community of pastors and leaders. “They told me the Bible was outdated and irrelevant. It was full of silly stories about an angry god that wanted people to praise him all the time.” But everything changed…