But. It’s a small word that carries a lot of power. When we use the word but, people brace themselves for what comes next, or they might even make a face. We may not want hear what follows it, but we have to pay attention if we want a complete…
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Weakness and our inability are a commodity in God’s economy. One passage has made me a champion of weakness more than any other. In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul struggled with something that was causing him pain, distraction, or both. The answer Paul got was the answer I needed back then,…
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The apostle Paul shared his transforming testimony wherever God directed him. One of his most memorable oratory moments happens in the intellectual capital of Athens. After preaching in the synagogue and marketplace, Paul is brought to the Areopagus, which is like their supreme court. (Fun fact: Socrates was condemned and…
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Have you ever met one of those deep, existential-thinking, profound-speaking people who come up with brilliant new thoughts and ideas all on their own? Well, I am NOT one of them. My bestie Kali is, though, and just between us, it’s downright annoying. I suspect that 99 percent of the…
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When I first started studying what it meant to be in constant prayer, I thought the idea was ridiculous—it sounded like constant work. But eventually I realized constant prayer is a place of rest, not another form of striving. It is a rest of the heart, a holy deep breath.…
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Great news: Forgiveness for everyday offenses gets easier. It’s a discipline and a practice, and like going for a habitual run, it becomes less of a struggle and more a part of your lifestyle. In my moving, powerful, and theologically deep chapter titled “Bert and Ernie and Satan,” I mention…
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“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” (1 Peter 1:3) Easter is a celebration of the most critical component of our faith: the resurrection…
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Jesus said, “There is none good except God,” so the revelation of “good” comes through the manifestation of God. We witness His goodness through the gift of His Son, whose death and resurrection we celebrate this week. The scriptures clearly proclaim that God is not only good, but He is love.…
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I sometimes wonder what the disciples were thinking when they said yes to following Jesus. Today we have the New Testament to let us know what we are getting ourselves into, but they did not have that. What did they have to go on? Jesus was already presenting differently than…
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Surely the blind man, whose eyes had not functioned properly since birth, must have assumed there was no hope that he would see. It would be one thing if he had lost his vision from disease as a child or because of an injury as an adult. Then he would…
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