Our lack of familiarity with true royal experience keeps us from fully appreciating the royal language of Scripture and worship.
All in Discipleship
Fourteen Rules for Discerning Spirits (Part 1)
The discernment of spirits is one of those things that we know is in the Bible, but are not always eager to discuss. We aren’t avoiding the topic, I think it sounds too mystical for many Christians.
Master, the Tempest is Raging!
In my fear and despair, my anger and bitterness, I cry out at the top of my lungs and from the depths of my heart—begging, pleading for God to wake up and hear me.
Fishermen as Disciples
A disciple of Christ needs to find the proper balance of active fishing on the water and active preparation on the dock.
O That You Would Tear Open the Heavens and Come Down
When God "comes down" to make the world right, God doesn't just correct the problems we want corrected. God's appearance might not be so interesting when you realize what God might do.
All Alone: A Reflection on Jacob
He was left all alone. For centuries these haunting words have filled the space between human extremity and divine encounters.
The Things that Make for Peace: Making Friends with Your Emotions
My anger is less likely to seek to destroy someone else than it is to seek to destroy me. That’s one of the things I’m learning about my anger as I get to know it better.
Passing on Faith
Teaching our children to follow God is one of the most profound tasks we are given; indeed, it is our primary mission field.
Spiritual Direction, Patience, and A Man Called Ove
Like fiction where the author tells us what each nod or smile means, it is a lovely image! Except, I haven’t experienced it to be true.
Is It Too Late to Turn Back? Reflections on the Difficulties of Change
You brace yourself for the change, you rally the forces, you organize every detail, and you convince yourself that you have created a foolproof plan for a perfect and seamless transition.
Saved from Myself
God uses truly “beautiful” people from time to time, to hold up the mirror, show us our own ugliness, and save us from ourselves. Thank you, Lord.
Who’s the Boss?
Our freedom is found not in being without a master, but in the identity of our master. Because there will always be a boss, it very much matters who that boss will be.
Yet - from Balkan Voices
What is the difference between reasoned encouragement that penetrates the soul and glib phrases that skate off our skin?
Pocket Phrases
When you decide to reach out to someone in the wake of a divorce, death, cancer, addiction, or even if they have skipped a few Sundays, there is a risk that you might say the wrong thing.
The Things that Make for Peace: Saying “I’m Sorry”
If the apology becomes about us receiving forgiveness, we’ve lost our focus on the welfare of the other and are just trying to make ourselves feel good.
I Remember - from Rusty Tugman (on His Son's Birthday)
How could I forget the one who made known to me a kind of love that runs so deep it cannot be explained?
Foundations for Worship: Jewish Feasts
Foundations provide support for structures, but that does not mean that the structures will look like the foundation. A house does not look like a basement.
Shabbat and Learning to Let Go
God, creator of the universe, stopped to rest. Not because he had to but because he chose to. God took a day off, then he called it holy!
The Heart of the Matter
When your heart hurts, to whom will you turn? When this isn’t working anymore (whatever this is), to whom will your heart lead you?
The Blessing of Challenge
What opportunities has God put in front of you that would allow you to get outside of your own set of norms, to be challenged in what you think to be true or best?