The Effort and Recovery Your Soul Needs for Lasting Transformation
Athletes or anyone interested in physical wellbeing knows that your muscles, bones, heart and lungs, every part of your body…
faith
Training, Not Trying: The Secret to Spiritual Growth
Trying harder just wears you out. And trying to become like Jesus can feel especially discouraging. But there’s a very…
What If Your Relationship with God Was Actually a Relationship?
Think of the person you are closest to. That might be a really good friend, your spouse, perhaps a brother…
More Is Available Now—But It Still Never Feels Like Enough
We don’t like to wait. Especially in today’s instant-gratification culture where you can get Amazon Prime delivery in an hour,…
A Holy Week Reflection: Three Aspects of Our Redemption
This week Christians around the world are remembering and celebrating the most momentous event in history – the death and…
What’s the Goal of the Christian Life? (It’s Not What You Think)
What goal are you after? And most especially as a Christian, why do you do what you do? What’s the…
Real Education: Five Life Lessons I’d Tell My Younger Self
When you’re 20 the world mostly revolves around you, and you’re the smartest person alive. But by the time you’re…
More Than Forgiveness: God’s Bigger Vision for Salvation
Clean as fresh-fallen snow. The debt you had no hope of ever satisfying – paid in full. Chains that had…
When You Might Need a “New God”
Let me be clear; you don’t get to have any God you want. You don’t get to make God in…
The Good News of Christmas
Merry Christmas! As we celebrate this holy day, let me remind you that it’s a day of good news! On…
Hope For When Christmas is Hard: 5 Ways to Rediscover Joy
Not everyone feels “merry” around the holidays. You’re “supposed” to enjoy this season of lights, music, giving, and family. But…
After Betrayal: Forgiveness, Boundaries, Reconciliation, and Trust
People will let you down. It might be an inadvertent misunderstanding, or it might be an intentional and destructive betrayal.…
Is God Good? Healing your Connection with God
Is God good? Your initial response may be the one you learned in church or Sunday school; “God is good.…
Transformation Starts Here: Following Jesus in Your Actual Life
What would following Jesus right now, today, look like? In the life you actually have. With the history, traumas, strengths,…
5 Ways You May Be Afraid to Change and What to Do About It
A husband I’ll call George feels paralyzed. He knows things aren’t well in his soul or in his marriage, but…
Purity: More About the Inside than the Outside
Some words are pregnant with emotional weight. Purity is such a word. At its best, it conveys the idea of…
You’re Not Too Far Gone: The Hope That Changes Everything
When the sun sets, how often do you worry that it’s gone forever? Probably never. If you’re sick or lonely,…
Intimacy Gone Wrong: the Biggest Obstacle to Connection with God
You were created in the image of God, with the need, desire, and capacity for intimacy. That need is part…
How to Write Your Story with God as Your Co-Author
You have a story. Perhaps you’ve made partial peace with some of the previous chapters of your story. But what…
How to Consecrate THAT Part of You to Jesus
Recently I mentioned a concept that got a lot of response; “consecrate that part of you to Jesus.” For whatever…
How to Avoid Both Cheap Grace and Legalism
Does “Jesus loves you” mean you can get away with stuff? If not, who determines what’s OK and not OK?…
How Does God Feel About You?
With some frequency I ask people, “How do you feel God feels about you?” I’m not looking for an intellectual or…
A Gift For a King: Offering Jesus a Birthday Present
A few years ago a friend shared with me an important part of how she celebrates Christmas every year; she…
How to Make Your Time with God Meaningful, Long or Short
Are you satisfied with how your spiritual life is going? Are you more like Jesus than you were a year…
Trying to Stop Your Bad Behavior? Who Has Your Heart?
Ask ten people what sin is and you’re likely to hear about the ten commandments, the words God wrote with…
How to Live Well Even in the Face of Unfulfilled Longings
Perhaps some days start out good. You slept well, the sunrise is lovely, and your coffee tastes great. But sooner…
Why a Christian Can Expect Both Suffering And Breakthrough
As followers of Jesus we should have the most complete and accurate understanding of reality. We know what’s happening behind…
Human Relationships: What People Can and Can’t Do For You
Loneliness is an epidemic. And it’s dangerous to your physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. God Himself said that aloneness was…
Healing After Betrayal: How to Rebuild Your Life and Move Forward
My friend had been betrayed. “It was a sucker punch in my gut.” I’m not sure there’s anything humans can…
Don’t Rob Your Spiritual Life of the Joy and Wonder of Mystery
What’s the best way to enjoy a spectacular sunset? What are the three steps to knowing you’re in love? Or…
Addressing Sin Issues in Others with Grace and Truth
We humans easily fall into ditches. Trying to be zealous for God’s way of righteousness, we fall into the truth…
Getting God from your Head to your Heart
Some of us (me included) naturally approach life first from the head. We studied hard in school, and when a…
What’s Required for Healthy Sexual Discipleship?
A spouse feeling hurt and lonely because their partner seems uninterested in sexual intimacy. A young (or not-so-young) person heavy…
Beyond the Valley: Moving Forward When You’ve Lost Trust in God
It didn’t require a genius to hear the pain in her words; “I’ve lost trust in God.” If you feel…
Do You Know God in All of These 10 Ways?
What’s your mental picture of God? A.W. Tozer said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is…
What to Do About the Three Kinds of Suffering
You are suffering. Surprise! Welcome to the human race. And of course that’s not at all reassuring. Our culture trains…
When God Feels Distant: Nurturing Faith in the Absence of Answers
This world is messy and often confusing. How do you handle things when life is difficult? Sometimes you’re not seeing…
Powerful Keys to Stewarding Your Sexuality Well
You have gifts, good things you’ve been given that are valuable. How are you caring for – stewarding – those…
What to Do When God’s “Truth” and Your Experience Collide
You “know” what’s right. Or you’re pretty sure you do. Then why does it feel so – wrong? Your head,…
5 Ways to Pray When You Keep Messing Up
You mess up. You ask God for forgiveness. Thankfully you’re forgiven! Then you mess up again, and the cycle continues.…
Disentangling the Connection Between Sex and Intimacy
We use euphemisms all the time, especially around sex. I’ll spare you a list. But did you know the Bible…
What You Can and Can’t Expect Church to Do for You
Church was Jesus’ idea. I pray your experience of church has been, is now, and will continue to be wonderful.…
Good News of Great Joy for All People
That’s what the angel said: “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that…
Why You’re Frustrated with One Encounter with Jesus
Most of us want the pill, not the journey. We want the magic formula to comfort and success, three easy…
From Genesis to Revelation: The Greatest Love Story Ever
Don’t you love a great love story? There’s always a hero, a heroine, and a villain. The questions keep us…
The Biggest Thing Missing From the Abortion Debate
Roe v. Wade and the abortion debate has been a volatile topic for decades. And the US Supreme Court’s decision…
How to Make Jesus Irresistible to Others
As a follower of Jesus you care about the people around you. So how do you respond to your coworker…
What Jesus Cares About More Than You Doing the Right Thing
What Jesus cares about most is not people doing the right thing. Does that surprise you? Certainly every human being…
What do Unafraid, Worry-Free People Know that You Don’t?
You don’t want a completely stress-free life. Not really. But don’t some people seem to handle it better than others?…
How to Celebrate Easter in a Time of Turmoil
This weekend is what many Christians consider the holiest time of the year. We remember and celebrate the event on…
