Often, when I read Paul's letters, I wonder: did Paul ever struggle with guilt? Did he ever think of Stephen's radiant face, and Stephen's forgiveness, and Stephen's broken, mangled body? Did he hate himself for approving of it? Did he ever look at himself admonishing churches and marvel that he had the gall to do it after the atrocities he'd committed? [Click title to read more.]
Category: God
When Prayer Is An Excuse For Inaction
Pray, yes. Pray first. Pray always. Prayer matters. But be aware that you may very well be the answer to the prayer that you're praying. While you're asking God to send assistance, the Lord of the Universe might very well be looking at you, waiting for you to respond. [Click title to read more.]
What The Open Door Means
The lingering image in the story of the concubine is a woman desperately trying to get inside. But the lingering image of the salvation story is the temple curtain torn in two from top to bottom. It was not enough for God merely to open the door for those who wanted in; He destroyed the door completely and annihilated the barriers keeping you out. [Click title to read more.]
A Meditation On Summer’s End
Slow down. Enjoy everything the coming season has to offer. Fall is short, but winter is long. Take each day as it comes, and give the Lord His crown as the king of your day. [Click title to read more.]
The Price God Pays When We Bear His Name
You've misrepresented the kingdom. I have. We all have. Whether it was simply an off day or a deliberate decision, we've done things bearing the office of Christian faith that have embarrassed the God we worship. We have taken the Name we bear and we've dragged it through the mud. [Click title to read more.]
God Works In The Quiet And The Dark
What I want you to know is that God is working when you don't think He is working. When you think He's stopped working. Long after you have resigned yourself to a "no," God is quietly, patiently, lovingly working. [Click title to read more.]
The Practice of Reorientation
More and more, I am becoming convinced that reorientation - not of ourselves to landmarks, but of ourselves to God - is a vital part of the Christian life. Maybe one of the most vital. [Click title to read more.]
The Story Of Sodom and Gomorrah Actually Tells Us A Lot About The Elasticity of God’s Mercy
It is within the rescue of Lot, his daughters, and his wives, that we see mercy most strongly at play: an elastic, stubborn sort of mercy.
Forgetting the Audacity Of The New Covenant
God cannot stand barriers between Himself and those He loves: He will tear them all down. Every single one, even if it requires an act so audacious it almost defies thought. [Click title to read more.]
You Don’t Own It
I've been a Christian for most of my life. I've grown to the point that I assume - wrongly - that I am consulting God about most things, and submitting to God in most things. In reality, probably 50% of the time I'm making assumptions about what God could and should do, based on what I want to happen and what I believe should happen. [Click title to read more.]
Samaritan's Song 