The following is an excerpt from Daily Thoughts for Disciples by Oswald Chambers: “It is the natural instinct of a child to imitate his mother, and when we are born again the Holy Spirit lifts this instinct into the spiritual domain and it becomes the most supernaturally natural thing for us to imitate our Lord. We grow in grace naturally, not artificially. Mimicking is the counterfeit of imitation and produces the ‘pi’ person, one who tries his best to be what he is not. When you are good you never try to be. It is natural to be like the one we live with most; then if we spend most of our time with Jesus Christ, we shall begin to be like...
When is the last time you went a little deeper in a conversation with a stranger or with someone you don’t really know? Whether at church or checking out at the grocery store - what kind of an opportunity could God bring to you by simply probing a little further? Well, last week I found out first hand what difference a deeper question could make in conversation - and by God’s grace, a life. Going Deeper with a Stranger Earlier in the summer, I decided to take on a "weekend DIY" project and build a fire pit in our backyard. Well... a few months later, and I was still building our fire pit. Turns out, pulling out yards of ivy is a lot more work than I expected!...
In my Bible in a Year plan, I recently came across one of the first verses I ever memorized in Isaiah - one that is probably pretty familiar to you: “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” Isaiah 26:3 (NLT) The CSB version says it this way: “You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you.” Actually, most translations use the word “mind” - KJV, ESV, NIV - to name a few. As much of an encouragement this perfect peace is, I found myself wondering what exactly is meant here by “mind.” In his commentary, David Guzik does a great job explaining...
Have you ever felt so weary and weak that you find yourself unable to do anything? Have you ever been so oppressed and attacked spiritually that you can barely utter a prayer? You’re not alone. As I write this blog, I can honestly say that I’m working through this right now. This past Saturday, I was so filled with the Spirit that I wanted to talk to everyone and anyone because I was overwhelmed with the grace and goodness of our Lord! Fast forward to earlier this morning (I'm writing this on Monday, just two days later), and I found myself unable to do anything but go to my room and cry out to our Father. Any focus and motivation and...
About a month ago I found myself smack-dab in the middle of an altercation between two people I know. It was one of those big blow up arguments that happen and escalate so quickly that you find yourself at a loss of words. To make things more interesting, one person borderlines on being an atheist but is searching and wondering if there is a God, while the other professes to be a Christian. After things cooled down, I reflected on the heated exchange and saw that something totally unrelated to the initial argument came to the surface. The one who is questioning God’s existence essentially called out the Christian for not living what he claims to believe; there’s a gap...
