My last speaking engagement for this spring was last Thursday and when I got into my car I spontaneously started singing a traditional summer hymn. The hymn usually marks the beginning of summer for us. Maybe I just turned off my brain or something because I forgot to blog last Friday. I’ve been blogging for years now and never before missed a post when scheduled. Interestingly, I did not even notice it until I started to write today’s post. Friends,…
Facing the truth is sometimes very hard. Accepting the blame is not fun or easy. But it is necessary in order to live authentically. How about you? Do you accept the reality of your sinfulness? Sure, it’s one of the hardest things to do. But it is also one of the things that bless us the most. Because when we come to terms with our sinfulness, we are ready to receive the only effective remedy for sin known to humankind:…
How do you communicate with God? Most often people say “through prayer”. And that’s great. Just don’t forget prayer is a two-way conversation. Prayer is not just about you telling God what’s wrong with your life. Prayer is also about listening to God. Yes, God still speaks today. God wants to communicate with you directly. God’s invitation to listen is real. God’s invitation to listen is for you Yes, you’re invited. God wants to interact with you. Not just once…
Today I want to honor Jerry Bridges, the author of Pursuit of Holiness, who died this Sunday at age 86. His writings have been a huge inspiration for many. Yet he was a very humble man always pointing to Christ. Here are my ten favorite Jerry Bridges quotes. May they bless you on your faith journey! The realization that my daily relationship with God is based on the infinite merit of Christ instead of on my own performance is a very freeing…
Why should you (or why do you) seek God and his presence? Should we need any other reason that the Bible tells us so? Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually [longing to be in His presence] (1 Chronicles 16:11, AMP). Two things come to mind right away. Hope they will bless you and your relationship with Jesus. The more you experience God’s presence, the more your capacity to experience his presence grows. God wants to share…
This is a gentle and hopefully encouraging reminder that you are not alone in your troubles. No matter how you feel, no matter how chaotic your life seems to be right now, you are not alone. God is our ever-present help. He will not leave you nor forsake you. You can stake your life on that promise. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the…
We are called to shine. But not to attract attention to ourselves but to God. We are called to shine for God. What does it mean? How could we glow for God? We can’t make ourselves glow but because God is full of glory, all we need to do is to reflect his light to the world. The more time we spend with God, the more we shine for God. The more God exposure we have, the more we reflect…
This Dietrich Bonhoeffer quote captured me this morning, so I just had to share it with you. Hopefully – if you want to be a Christian – it will touch a chord in you and inspire you to put your faith in practice too. “If we want to be Christians, we must have some share in Christ’s large-heartedness by acting with responsibility and in freedom when the hour of danger comes, and by showing a real sympathy that springs, not…
I am always excited when a new Biblical book is born. This week we are truly blessed by Mary DeMuth‘s and Frank Viola‘s brand new book The Day I Met Jesus. This book is simply amazing. Mary DeMuth’s writing is real, raw, authentic, organic…you experience these women’s stories like never before. Mary’s writing is extraordinary, you feel like you’re the woman in the story. And then Frank Viola helps you to dig even deeper into the story. Very thought-provoking and…
Are you a joy-warrior? Would you like to be? I hope so. That’s who we are called to be here on earth. We are called to love God above all else and others like ourselves. It’s not as easy as it sounds but the benefits are out of this world. Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. (2 Cor.13:11, MSG) A joy-warrior is…
