It’s OK to be a mess
“Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion.” Brennan Manning, Abba's Child
Don’t Let Me Forget: The song on the radio in a room called “Remember”
This week I've been pondering, as many have, the end of this year. The spiritual practice of "Remembering" has become a helpful and comfortable place for me over the years. Like broken in jeans, or shoes, or that piece of furniture that has become contoured to your shape over time. I've recently been thinking of a Frederick Buechner book entitled, "A Room Called Remember." The book is introduced and themed around a dream that Buechner had. He had a dream where he was staying in an incredibly euphoric hotel room but when he left it he found that he couldn’t find it again. He went to a front desk to explain his predicament, and the room, [...]
Worshiping God When You Don’t Feel Like It [Audio]
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name! David (shepherd boy turned king), Psalm 103:1 One thing that has been a part of my spiritual and character formation has been worship. Yes, worship is a response to what God has done, but what happens when worship (or rather, creating the environment for worship to happen) is your job? Through the week to week routine of it all, as well as in the times where you are walking through personal battles or frustrations of your own, there is temptation to slip into autopilot, in a way that does not engage the heart (personally). One thing I've found, however, is [...]
Living with Joyful Endurance [Audio]
Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. James 1:2-4 (The Message) This year, as our church prepared for Holy week, I had an opportunity to share something that the Lord has been working in my heart and experience. The end of 2018 and early 2019 was a difficult time for our family, but in it the Lord taught me much about joy and endurance. As [...]