Romans 12:18 “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” I recently had a small but poignant experience that sharpened to me the beauty of everyday redemption. I had just paid for getting my hair done at the beauty salon. As I Continue Reading…
Matthew 5:29 “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” Unlike those in days past, I think it is hard for Continue Reading…
Hebrews 4:11 “Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.” I’ve recently added a new element in my public speaking classes called “the power of the pause.” Most experts in public speaking explain how important it Continue Reading…
Hebrews 11:6 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for…” One of the biggest misconceptions about faith assumes it is a feeling, a flood of positive mental energy we have to drum up. If we “drum it up” enough, we’ll get what we ask for, but if we don’t, Continue Reading…
Job 13:15 “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.” I came across a billboard the other day that said, “Everything works out in the end. If it hasn’t worked out, it isn’t the end.” To be marked with the kind of tenaciousness that trusts God will, in Continue Reading…
Numbers 29:39 “…In addition to what you vow and your freewill offerings….” God is an extravagant giver. In our quest to reflect his image, it’s hard to overestimate the importance of giving. Not only does generosity help others “see” God, but it has the added benefit of heightening our own Continue Reading…
Mark 13:37 “What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” One of my favorite images in all of Scripture is found in the second chapter of Habakkuk where the prophet says he will stand at his watch and station himself on the ramparts to wait for the Lord. Continue Reading…
1 Peter 4:19 “So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” The Battle of France in WWII had been lost. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill knew England would be the next target in Hitler’s relentless pursuit. The stakes Continue Reading…
2 Timothy 4:6 “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure.” Self-centeredness usually succeeds because it causes us to center more on what we don’t have than what we have. One of its most insidious manifestations erupts in self-pity. Continue Reading…
John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.” We live in a society embroiled in self…self-fulfillment, self-realization, self-help, self-sufficiency, self-esteem. It’s hard to escape the me mindset. A book by Gary Thomas entitled Authentic Faith describes his experience when asked to write an article on selflessness. The magazine editor Continue Reading…