What About Sin?
Christians who are unfamiliar with spiritual formation sometimes wonder why we do not say more about sin and repentance. The reason is that Christian formation has a far broader understanding of repentance than is traditionally taught, and as such, deals with the sin problem far more effectively. Read more...
God is For Us
“God is for us” (Rom.8:31). What an incredible thought! He’s not standing over us with a club, waiting for us to make a mistake — He is actively at work in us to help us become more whole....
When Christ Emptied Himself
What did it mean for Jesus to “empty” Himself in order to become human (Phil.2)? I don’t want to enter the theological debates about what could or could not be true of the God-Man. I just want to know why it matters....
We Need a Bigger Box!
I am constantly amazed at my own self-made limitations on the goodness of God! Whenever I think I’ve let Him “out of the box” I had put Him in previously, I eventually find that I’ve only given Him a slightly bigger box. And I wish I could do away...
Cleaning Our Lenses
“The lamp of the body is the eye. If you eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light” (Lk.11:34+). What does Jesus mean by having “clear” vision?...
The Trouble with Obedience (part 2)
Sometimes when I point out that we really cannot keep Jesus’ commands like “forgive 70 x 7” and “do good to those who despise you,” someone will suggest that we still need to try our best and then continually repent of our shortcomings. But I don’t think repeated cycles of...
Being in God’s Will
We don’t see them much any more, but when I was growing up we would often see special events where the speaker’s topic was, “How to know God’s will for your life.” You had to get there early, because the place would be packed out....
Don’t Go By Feeling?
How many times have you heard, “As a Christian, you can’t go by your feelings … you have to go on faith!” What does that even mean? It makes my head spin....
Our Need to Be Known
More than anything else, we need to be known and loved at the same time by the same person....
The Power of Gratitude
I am coming to believe that developing a lifestyle of gratitude and appreciation is far more important than we would normally think, based on how little attention it seems to get. There are so many side-affects of practicing appreciation that it would take a book to explain it all....