For those in the church that feel that Christians are being marginalized by our culture, I offer the following prayer that I read in Psalm 80 this morning: “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and […]
Step out of the winepress
The question for me is whether I am willing to rely on God and take a risk if God calls me to do something. Am I willing to be misunderstood? Am I willing to be reviled by those who don’t agree with me?
Rest in God’s Goodness
If I cast the burden on God he promises to sustain me. The bottom line is that either this promise is true or it is not. I can choose to believe it or I can chose to disbelieve.
On Christian Calling
I was recently asked about my calling and where I see myself with regard to Christian ministry. In thinking about how to respond to this question, it comes to me that whatever the answer is, it must be rooted in the two great commands to love God and love neighbor. First, I must confess that […]
Be willing to be hurt
My assumption is that everyone has difficult people in their lives. We have people with whom we must interact for one reason or another, but much of that interaction is unpleasant or draining. I’m thinking of coworkers, family members, church members, neighbors, etc. The Apostle John described Jesus as being “full of grace and truth” […]
Putting on our “game face”
One of the things that I struggle with in church is the pressure that we feel to put on the churchy version of game face when we come on Sunday. If you’ve been in the church at all you probably know what I’m talking about. Game face is a look intended to convey that everything […]