CHRISTIAN CELEBRATION

Seven Ways to Practice Celebration

The latest polls indicate that the popularity of Jesus is on the rise, while that of his followers is in rapid decline. The world looks at Christians and doesn’t see anything very attractive. In part, there are too many angry Christians who walk around with a frown on their faces. That’s unfortunate because one of […]

Celebrate!

STARVING FOR GUIDANCE

The Desperate Need for Spiritual Guidance

We live in a culture starving for guidance. The life coaching and mentoring business rakes in millions and millions each year. People are desperate for help in this fast-paced, crazy world where they are having to make life-changing decisions at the speed of light. How does the spiritual discipline of guidance help?   Guidance as […]

direction

WORSHIP AS DISCIPLINE

Seven Steps to Experience True Worship

Worship is probably the most familiar of the Spiritual Disciplines. Part of our history as a country was the fight for the freedom to worship God without government interference. The ability to express our love for God in our own heart language is essential to our spiritual health. God loves to hear our worship. What […]

holy worship

CONFESSION AS LIBERATION

The Liberating Act of Taking Sin Seriously

Jesus’ central mission was to clear a path for God’s forgiveness. At the heart of God’s relationship to us is his desire to give and forgive. That forgiveness comes to us when we repent, confess our sins, and ask God to forgive us. Confession is liberating! What is the critical role of confession for the […]

Confession

A LIFE OF SACRIFICIAL SERVICE

Nine Ways to Do It and Nine Ways Not to Do It

There is a growing call in the business world for Servant Leadership. Simon Sinek’s bestseller is entitled, “Leaders Eat Last.” Those in the business world have recognized that people are starving for selfless leaders. Jesus taught that the Christian is to be the servant of all. How do we do that?   Jesus and Service […]

servanthood

RADICAL SUBMISSION

Six Ways to Practice Submission

Submission is a dirty word in our culture. It conjures up images of abuse, enslavement, or oppressive control. We have a strong aversion to anything that smacks of authoritarianism or autocratic control. Yet, the Scriptures call us, again and again, to be submissive. What does that mean?   What is Submission? Our natural aversion to […]

submission

THE POWER OF SOLITUDE

Strength and Peace from Solitude

We live in a crazy and noisy world. The exponential growth of time-saving technology has simply enabled us to fill our lives with more and more noise. The iPhone has connected us in unprecedented ways with a constant stream of information and communication. It is getting more and more difficult to find space away from […]

solitude

SIMPLICITY AND FREEDOM

Ten Principles for Practicing Simplicity

We are constantly bombarded with the propaganda of Madison Avenue. Someone is always trying to sell us something — marketing forces always competing for our attention. It seems impossible to get away from the chatter. In contrast, Jesus calls us to a life of simplicity. How do we live a life of simplicity in the […]

clean and simple

STUDY AS SACRED DUTY

The Four Steps to Christian Study

Studying is something human beings do instinctively. It’s the very first spiritual discipline we ever engage in. From the time of our birth – as soon as we can open our eyes – we begin to study the world around us. The Bible commands us to study. What are the essential components of this fundamental […]

spiritual discipline

CAN FASTING BE A FEAST?

The Power and Purpose of Practicing a Fast

Food is the great American national sport. The rise of fast food in the 60’s and Door Dash in the last few years has taken food to a new place in human history. Access to just about any kind of food, on demand, has positioned food as the modern-day Baal. There is nothing wrong with […]

fasting