One week into my sabbatical I made it through a 24-hour period without thinking about the church. It was strange … and refreshing. It is common, unhealthy and unbiblical to get your sense of self-esteem from your work. It’s great to take pride in what you do, but dangerous to make it the source of […]
I had a hard time sleeping for the first week of my sabbatical. Restlessness and anxiety kept me tossing and turning. And then, like a switch turning off, suddenly I slept and slept and slept. Like a baby, as they say, I pushed through the anxiety and found the rhythm of REM sleep. Eight full […]
The first week of my sabbatical was spent with a deep dive into nature — Five days alone with God, reflecting on the colors, contours, and beauty of his creative work. From the mountains of southern Colorado to the canyons of northern Arizona to the forests and beaches of California … God reveals himself as […]
I am so grateful to my church for generously giving me a 30 day sabbatical. I plan to use this as a time of spiritual refreshment and renewal. I will NOT be blogging during my sabbatical. If you are a regular visitor to my blog — first, let me say THANK YOU for reading my […]
Laziness is a spiritual problem. Always. It’s also a universal issue. Even the most productive people have sneaky ways to be lazy; little distractions and insignificant tasks they use to avoid the harder tasks that really matter. What did Jesus say about laziness? Our Struggle with Laziness Let’s face it: It’s very tempting to […]
We all have a particular way of looking at the world; a way of approaching the challenges of life. We do it instinctively — like breathing. We operate from a set of beliefs about fundamental aspects of reality that ground and influence all our perceiving, thinking, knowing, and doing. This is called a worldview. […]
Children should not be dying in our care on the border (or anywhere else, for that matter). The images and reports coming out of detention centers are extremely disturbing. Can we dispel with all political ideology and make space for a few moments of sanity? I am not writing to bash politicians. I’m writing to […]
Life can be a bit of a roller coaster at times. There may be seasons of stability – times when everything seems to be running smoothly – but, those seasons are always interrupted by the natural bend of life toward chaos and disruption. Here’s a 31-day Scripture reading plan specifically for those months that you […]
Some Christians seem to be very angry at the world. There is an interesting dynamic Jesus had with his First Century Palestinian world. He seemed to walk a fine line between living in the world and rising above it. What does Jesus teach us about our attitude toward the world? Did Jesus Tell us […]
Emotions often seem to rule daily life. We make decisions based on whether we are happy, angry, sad, bored, or frustrated. We choose activities and hobbies based on the emotions they incite. They drive how we feel much of the time. So, what does the Bible say about emotions and how we can handle them […]
