If I’m being honest, like taking a microscope to my heart kind of honest, I think I'm a pretty big deal. Of course I don't insert that line into everyday conversation, because it's not socially acceptable to be obviously arrogant. You have to coat your...
The God I worship is the God of the universe and all of creation. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the One who holds the world in His hands and gives us life. This is the God I worship, yet sometimes I fail to...
Do you know those days when you feel like you’ve got it all together? You know what needs to get done, and you know exactly how you’re going to do it. You’re motivated and focused; you’re on it, and everyone else better move out of...
I had the immense privilege of growing up on the edge of a family farm. And despite having to run from charging cows a time or two and spending summer days (and Christmas Eve nights, let's be honest) climbing stacks of hay bales, I can't...
Liturgy, that old word for old worship, comes from the Greek words for "public" and "working." Through the centuries, many in the church have made use of these root words to define liturgy as "the work of the people." This definition grows out of the...
As the youngest son, David performed the lowly, menial job of taking care of the goats and sheep in the fields. But when David comes before Samuel, the Lord said, “This is the one; anoint him” (v. 12)....
One of the first lessons I learned in elementary school is that your name must go on everything. It was drilled into our heads that if your name isn’t on it, it isn’t “yours.” Fast forward a decade, and in a college job, before turning...
My first few jobs through and after college were work. And they were just that; they were jobs that no one may have found glamorous, and I certainly did not see them as anything but a means to a paycheck and a stepping stone to...
At the risk of sounding like an annoying overachiever, the idea of hard work has never really bothered me. I'm probably too competitive for my own good, so the thought of a challenge (even a dumb one) has always called to something deep and elemental...
As we’ve been learning the last several weeks in our Work series, work is hard! Parenting is work, and it’s extremely hard work. So as a disclaimer, let me state up front that we have had all the struggles with this role of parenting that...
Legos are a tangible illustration of, or metaphor for, the different parts and pieces that can be assembled to build something splendid. Opening a box full of Legos, you will see several different colors and sizes, each containing a different number of stud notches. Each...
A few years back, I went through what I like to call a “Christian man’s midlife crisis.” Unlike the Hollywood depiction of a man at midlife, I didn’t want a new car and thank goodness I didn’t want a new wife. But yet, I knew...
As a young professional, work in the context of establishing a career can be daunting. We all enter the workforce with differing personalities, home environments, past experiences, and generational baggage, all of which affects our overall attitude towards work. ...
We can try to run from it, but eventually it will catch up to us. Most of us dread it and view it as an obligation rather than an opportunity. It is a four letter word that makes us cringe and causes us to cower:...
I love stories. That is one of the many reasons that I chose to become a teacher! My favorite stories are stories that display how God works through the Holy Spirit and how important His timing is; something that might not seem right at one...
Let’s face it: doubt is a reality for all of us. Closely related to fear, doubt wedges itself beneath our skin and begins to eat away at the confidence we have built up. Taken to an extreme, doubt can cripple us from action and even...
[rt_reading_time label="Reading Time:" postfix="minutes"] You’ve been there. The pain of betrayal, wounds you don’t think will ever heal. Someone has broken your trust, hurt you deeply, and the thing you thought would never happen has become your reality. Where once was a healthy bond of strength,...
Oh, how I can relate to poor Martha! I love making "to do" lists and joyfully checking tasks off one by one. I am a “do-er,” often tempted to take on more than I can reasonably handle. Like Martha, I also enjoy opening my home...
The Apostle Peter is one of the most significant figures in the New Testament. He features heavily in the Gospels alongside Jesus as one of the members of His smaller, “core” group of Apostles; and, he is the foremost spokesman of the Apostles during the...
Achievement is the currency of the day. More than certifications, degrees, or tenure, our accomplishments weigh the heaviest in any valuation. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, it does curb our mindset to avoid failure at all costs. Failure immediately translates into negativity,...
Have you been beaten with rods, stoned, shipwrecked, gone hungry, or been attacked by bandits? Odds are that none of us have suffered like this for our faith. Yet, Paul endured these things and more for the Lord’s sake. While our sufferings may not look...
You must by no means make Christ to seem petty and trivial to us – as though He could be our Helper only when we want to be rid from imaginary, nominal, and childish sins. No, no! That would not be good for us. Christ...
Few men are more broken than the man with a dying child. Scanning the landscape, Jairus’ eyes finally landed on Jesus. Time was draining, and he began to run, his skirt fabric hiked up in his fist. Jairus was a ruler in the synagogue, probably a...
I was driving home from school one day stressed, overwhelmed, and disappointed. I thought about all the ways I fail my Savior. I thought about my shame and feelings of unworthiness that only seem to grow as I get more involved in ministries and my...
Nicodemus has never been a Bible character who stands out to me. At first glance, his story seems to be a narrative on what not to do. In John 3, Nicodemus sneaks over to see Jesus at night in order to ask him a series...