Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Have you ever felt completely wiped out, wrung out, drained and depleted of energy? Times like these usually come from extended seasons of trouble, trials, pressures, pains; from great loss, lack or labor. They leave us desperately weakened; “bone tired” in spirit, soul and body. Such a depth of fatigue can lead to hopelessness –– […]
Monday, August 8, 2011
What were you thinking? This is a question we often ask folks, and sometimes ourselves, particularly when something silly or foolish has been said or done. It points to the fact that our words and actions flow from our thinking, or in many cases, from our failure to do so! What goes on in our […]
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Affectionately known by many simply as “J.B.”, James Brown is a well-respected sports broadcaster and journalist. He’s the host of CBS’ “The NFL Today” and Showtime’s “Inside the NFL.” But most importantly, James is a man who loves Jesus Christ and his family, and faithfully seeks to show God’s love and grace to others. He’s […]
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Friends –– truly great friends –– are hard to come by. They’re rare and precious jewels to be treasured. While everybody longs for great friends, few think about being one. How different our lives and our world would be if we simply made the shift from “having to being!” The Bible gives us some wonderful […]
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
What’s burning in you? I’m talking about passion. Passion is an important part of life, and a commonly misunderstood concept. It’s often mistaken as something only associated with romance or with someone’s strong feelings. Actually passion is all about deep dedication and devotion. It’s about rock solid commitment to something or someone. It’s a kind […]
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Sometimes life delivers us losses we don’t like or didn’t expect. All of us go through experiences, and perhaps extended seasons, when people or things are taken from us. It could be the death of loved ones, the termination of a job, the relocation of a great friend, transitions in relationships, a child going off […]
Monday, July 18, 2011
We all have them, and we usually detest them. They frustrate us, discourage us, and sometimes drive us to our knees in desperate prayer. I’m talking about weaknesses. A weakness is the absence of some positive quality in an object or person; something that is lacking or deficient. In people, it can be a character […]
Friday, July 15, 2011
Summer is passing quickly. Before we know it, school will be back in session and we’ll soon be occupied with the busyness of Fall. What we do with the next few weeks can prepare us for the days ahead. If we invest ourselves in spiritual growth this summer, we can gain much needed spiritual strength […]
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
What is one of the most common and successful tactics of the devil against Christians? While Satan uses a variety of methods, means and strategies to hamstring and sidetrack believers, one of his favorite and most frequent tricks and traps is an offense. If Satan can cause us to become offended, angry, resentful, judgmental or […]
Sunday, July 3, 2011
As we celebrate Independence Day, I am grateful for the United States of America. I appreciate the values that have undergirded our nation for many years, and the freedom these values have secured. God has certainly poured out His goodness and blessings on us in many ways. As we head into the future, we have […]
Monday, June 27, 2011
How maintenance-minded are you? Maintenance is something that is often avoided. The life objective of many is “low-maintenance living.” We like low maintenance cars, low maintenance homes, low maintenance jobs, low maintenance people and low maintenance relationships. The less upkeep the better! Maintenance is actually a very important activity. To “maintain” something is “to preserve […]
Monday, June 6, 2011
When was the last time you had a conflict with someone? Maybe you are in the middle of one now. Marriages, families and friendships are frequently damaged, and sometimes destroyed by unhealed hurts, anger and resentment. For relationships to succeed, we must learn how to keep disagreements from turning into destructive strife and division. One […]
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
When was the last time you were lost? In this age of GPS, lostness is not as common as it used to be. Recently I was driving to an unfamiliar location. I put the address information into the navigation app on my phone and headed out in confidence that I would get where I needed […]
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Every marriage and family has moments of stress and tension. Personality differences, the pressures of life, along with disappointed expectations and poor communication all make relationships challenging and painful at times. Strained relationships take their toll. The result can be a growing emotional distance and, potentially, significant distrust, disharmony and division. But this doesn’t have […]
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Most folks have heard the old adage, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going!” While there’s a mountain of inspiration in this statement calling us to grow determination and dedication in difficulties, there’s another lesson tough times should teach us. Tough times can also make us tender. We might say it this way, […]
Monday, May 2, 2011
Have you ever felt threatened by something or someone? When was the last time your heart pounded with fear and your mind raced with anxiety about some situation that loomed over your life? We all need a safe place to run at times like these. We need a place where we can be protected from […]