“Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity” (Psalm 51:8,9). Two years ago I broke the first bone I’ve ever broken in my body, the tip of my finger. Something very heavy dropped on it. Man, that hurt! It crushed the little finger …
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent. Ashes signify repentance, and the dust-to-dustness human nature of our lives. As children of Adam, we all are made from dust or dirt, possessing “mortal flesh.” We are in need of cleansing from our dirtiness and sinfulness. The prophet Isaiah knew this, so when in a vision he stood …
Are you familiar with the 5 love languages? One of them is called “quality time.” It means togetherness—and not just proximity but attention. Quality time is two people sharing themselves in the moment, focused on the relationship. Jesus teaches that you can improve your prayer life by appreciating prayer as quality time with God. “When you pray … Your Father, …
The idols whose promises and pleasures attract us are not—Are Not!—the real deal. When our hearts find more fulfillment and satisfaction in them instead of God, we are worshipping creation instead of the Creator. And creation is “subjected to frustration” (Romans 8:20). We self-medicate on alcohol or drugs, masking the symptoms of our deeper sin problems that then root themselves …
God is interested in spending quality time with you. It’s called prayer. How can you make prayer more about your relationship with God than about results from God?
Winds blow. Storms come. The kids need braces. Your calendar is overcommitted. You are failing biology. You are so behind on withholding enough money for the IRS. The Bible is going to keep you from drifting off course even when the winds blow. Why? Because the Bible is God’s wind, stronger than any wind of this world or storm in …
A friend at church asked me what I appreciate about the book of Psalms in the Bible. So this week I’m going to share three reasons why I love the psalms: because they are 1) Personal, 2) Prayerful and 3) Passionate. The psalms are passionate. Visceral. Earthy. Real. Vulnerable. Transparent. Authentic. Raw. Unguarded. Free. Spontaneous. Shouting. Crying. Laughing. Shaking a …
A friend at church asked me what I appreciate about the book of Psalms in the Bible. So this week I’m going to share three reasons why I love the psalms: because they are 1) Personal, 2) Prayerful and 3) Passionate. The psalms constantly seek God. They are prayerful. Seek his presence. “Do not cast me from your presence or …
A friend at church asked me what I appreciate about the book of Psalms in the Bible. So this week I’m going to share three reasons why I love the psalms: because they are 1) Personal, 2) Prayerful and 3) Passionate. Most often the Bible draws us into the wider story of a group of people. For example, the Israelites …
108 billion people have lived throughout history. 93% of them are dead. You have something that they do not. You have time. You have something that every king and queen, every pharaoh and ruler, every CEO and celebrity of the past would give all their wealth for: today.1 The present. A gift, to be sure. An opportunity to change, to …
