Loving My Ideological Enemies

I've been reading Jon Walker's Costly Grace for a couple of months now. (No, I'm not a slow reader. I decided that rather than treat the exercise as a mission to accomplish, I would actually try to digest and apply what I was reading.) Today's chapter, Becoming Like Jesus When Facing Enemies, has prompted this confession. I …

Having Been Borne by God

Isaiah 46:3-4 (NASB) "Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, You who have been borne by Me from birth And have been carried from the womb; Even to your old age I will be the same, And even to your graying years I will bear you! …

Clothed with Christ, Prepared for Battle

Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let …

There is No Strain with God

We so often look to the mighty displays of God's power to validate His existence and overlook the less spectacular. God digs no deeper within Himself to comfort us in our affliction than He does when He obliterates the largest mountain or heals the most deadly disease. There is no strain with God. "And a …

My Year in Review

Most of what we learn about life, ourselves and God comes after the fact. So I think there is benefit in stopping at this time of year to chronicle not only the standout moments, but more importantly, the lessons we may have learned. Of course, I'm not sure that we ever learn them in their …

Now I See

This whole idea behind this blog site is one of perception. What we see. From where we see. The lens through which we see. The inherent limitations of our lens. Scripture is filled with lessons about perception and the role it plays in our walk with Christ. Someone posted a verse on Facebook yesterday that …

Breakthrough

I was in California a couple of month's ago on business and on my way to pick up a co-worker when the sun broke through the clouds on a stormy day near Mountain Center, CA. As is often the case, pictures do not do justice to reality, but it was as if God was shining …

The Unforced Gush

We all know we are supposed to be thankful. Scripture commands it. Society acknowledges it. The Thanksgiving Holiday demands it - whether we like it or not. Sometimes compliance comes easy. Sometimes not so much. So in response, we begin to "count our blessings", which is generally the moment where we enumerate our accomplishments, take …

Structural Integrity

We all carry a load. If we lack structural integrity, external forces will determine which way we lean and ultimately lead to our inevitable collapse.   "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, …

Metamorphosis

A passive approach to the Christian life will only result, at best, in a lifestyle that reflects the environment in which it lives. The Cross is not a behavior modification technique employed by God, but the instrument by which our old life is crucified and a new life emerges - a life that is completely …