Have you ever been discouraged? The days are lonely and the nights are long. Discouragement typically comes to us because we’ve looked outward and found that our expectations of life or expectations of others have not been met. Problems, especially relational problems, tend to isolate us and discourage us. So after looking outward and becoming discouraged, … Continue reading Discouragement
Category: Living
Happily Ever After…
Every fairy tale has the same formula. It begins with, “Once upon a time...” and ends with, “they lived happily ever after.” Ask almost any person what they want out of life, and they'll most likely reply, “I just want to be happy.” As Americans, the pursuit of happiness is written into the U.S. Declaration of … Continue reading Happily Ever After…
Can I Get a Witness?
Whatever else we are as followers of Jesus (leaders, teachers, students, pastors, theologians, servants, philosophers, etc.), we are primarily witnesses of who He is and what He's done. Whatever we might become and whatever we might do, everything is subordinate to our life purpose of personally telling others about Jesus. After His resurrection and immediately prior … Continue reading Can I Get a Witness?
Who are you?
Who am I? I work at a church as a pastor, but that's not who I am. I am a husband and a father, but who I am is not defined by my family roles and responsibilities. I'm a huge Texas Ranger's fan, but my identity is not wrapped up with their success or their slumps. … Continue reading Who are you?
Second Chances
The famous Dutch painter, Vincent van Gogh, tossed away the truth imparted to him in his Christian home and sank into a deep depression and destructive lifestyle. By the grace of God, he later began to embrace God's love again and found he was given a second chance. Van Gogh's life took on hope, and … Continue reading Second Chances
The “R” Word
Over the years, the “R” word has developed a bad reputation. Repentance has often been used as a threat rather than an invitation—spoken as though it were the doorway into eternal life rather than a gracious warning from a loving God. As a result, repentance has been confused with the Gospel itself. But when repentance … Continue reading The “R” Word
His Eye is on the Sparrow
Those in other parts of the world - and probably even my city - would consider some of my daily anxieties silly because I've never had to wonder about my next meal(s) or worry about an empty closet to keep me and my family warm. From a purely physical perspective of basic human necessities of … Continue reading His Eye is on the Sparrow
Wisdom for a world gone wild
Contrary to popular opinion and New Years' optimism, the world is not getting any better. Read any year-end summaries of 2013 global events and people (Time, WSJ, Yahoo, Dave Barry, and even Facebook) and you'll see there are still wars (Syria, Egypt, Afghanistan) and rumors of wars (Iran, South Korea, Pakistan). There are still murders (Trevon Martin, … Continue reading Wisdom for a world gone wild
Jesus is so… yesterday.
I remember it was last August, in the heat of summer with 100+ temperatures in Texas, I saw my first glimpse of preparations for Christmas. The store where I was shopping had already cleared out the seasonal section to begin the merchandising build up for Christmas shoppers. Since then, we have had weeks of anticipation … Continue reading Jesus is so… yesterday.
God’s Unshakable Hope
Most of the time, our meaning of hope is not much more than wishful thinking. We say things like, "I hope we have a White Christmas." "I hope the Texas Rangers win the World Series." "I hope the Dallas Cowboys can win at least one meaningful game someday." "I hope I got an “A” on … Continue reading God’s Unshakable Hope