How important is it for you to be right? For some people being right is EVERYTHING. They would rather sacrifice relationship than be wrong, or thought of as being wrong. Others, however, seem to care more about relationships and harmony with others than they do about being right. They would sacrifice being right for the [...]
When was the last time you really connected with someone in a deep and meaningful way? It might have been with someone who was a close friend or relative, or it could have been with someone that you didn’t know very well. What was that connection; how would you define it? We have different expressions [...]
Some people really get under our skin. It could spring from the fact that they are very different from us. They may look at life from very different perspectives or they may communicate in ways that seem very foreign to us. This can lead to misunderstanding and misjudgment. It is difficult to receive someone for [...]
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” – This is how the fifth chapter of Paul’s letter to believers in Galatia begins. But, what does this freedom mean?
The cry for personal freedom has increasingly resonated with our culture for the last 40-50 years. It seems that young people in particular are consistently [...]
Do you want to get things moving in your spiritual life? Do you want to see God do more around you and have Him answer your prayers more clearly? Sometimes I feel like I am living my faith without much dynamism – like I am trying to do the right stuff, but I am not [...]
I can remember if very clearly, as if it were yesterday, though it was 31 years ago. I was seated in a room with nearly 500 elderly people, listening to a presentation of the significance of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.
The Christian life is far more than a set of beliefs and principles. It is a relationship with Jesus Christ. It’s more than a recollection of what He has done in the past – either in history or years ago in our lives. It is present interaction and empowerment – at this very moment.
A sincere expression of thanks often encourages and lifts others up. It makes a connection; it kind of says, “I get you and I am grateful for what you have done.” This connection can happen when you let someone cut in front of you in traffic, and they express thanks; or when you say, “Thank [...]
Do you feel healthy, directed and centered, or do you feel worn, torn and out of sorts? Our lives are affected by many sources of information and challenge. We can easily feel pulled in a variety of directions, and tired – always trying to catch up with moving and changing goals. These are the trials [...]
Have you ever read a book that seemed to just about transform your life, then recommended it to someone else who didn’t find it to be very profound? Or have you ever really loved a movie, and later found that none of your friends seemed to even like it much? This can make you feel [...]
Input, input, input! Sights, sounds, smells, tastes, feelings – they are bombarding us all day long. (Trucks and jackhammers are tearing up the street about 20 feet from me at this very moment.) We learn to filter out so much of what is coming our way, just to survive.
When it’s time to listen to people, [...]
If you could have anything you wanted, what would it be? If you received a visitation from an angel expressing God’s favor toward you and offering you whatever you most wanted – for what would you ask? Would you ask for money, relationships, skills or health? If you could have anything what would that thing [...]
What are the deep inner needs that people have? We all want to be accepted, to find a measure of joy and happiness, to have a sense of direction and purpose, to be whole and to be connected to others and God. This is a rounded and healthy life.
There are many aspects of life that [...]
When life feels overwhelming it can easily lead to a negative, unproductive spiral if you aren’t careful. A scarcity mentality can sap the life out of life. You know how it works: “I don’t have enough energy, so I will do as little as I can to get by;” “I don’t have much money, so [...]
What do you do when the list is too long? What do you do when you are falling behind and the goals seem too hard to attain? Do you press yourself too hard? Do you press others too hard?
Remember, when all else fails, choose love. Make sure that you “put on” love, like a favorite [...]
There is a Sabbath-rest for the people of God. Anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own heavy, driven, striving efforts. (Hebrews 4:9-10) God wants to invite you to share His rest with Him.
God’s rest is not a matter of inactivity, for God is active even at this very moment. His rest is [...]
