"And now these three remain…faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
God is often compared to fire in the Bible. When you read about fire, it usually means one of three things: an indicator of God’s presence, a means of His purification, or a display of His passion. This is part three of the series, how fire represents God’s passion. I procrastinated in writing this piece. They say that the […]
Read more
On our way to Idaho, we drive into thick, dark smoke. The West is burning, over a million acres consumed by wildfires raging out of control. The smell of smoke hangs in the air, the sun is a muted orb of pale yellow barely visible through the haze. I’ve seen this before, the way a […]
Read more
In a local Walmart yesterday, two worlds crashed head-on at an unmarked intersection. The wreck went largely unnoticed, although it caused a great deal of inconvenience. There were no fatalities. Or, maybe, there were. You see, I was minding my own business that day. Doing the things we do here in America, the things I take […]
Read more
Being forgiven means we are freed from the chains of sin and death. But it is also a gift meant to allow us to live a life of joy and freedom! You can have the assurance of salvation but miss out on the part where you live as a free, worthy, precious child of God. And […]
Read more
An un-named 19 year old lighting his birthday candles with a blow torch Dear Almost-Nineteen, Do you have a moment? Just a little time to chat, I won’t keep you long. You’ve got things to do, I know. Set it aside a moment and walk with me. Listen, I don’t want to preach. I know […]
Read more
The piece below was written years ago; since then God has given me a lot of opportunity to think about what worship means to me and to the church. I have seen some beautiful examples of worship and some that make me sad. I have had moments leading worship where the voices of the […]
Read more
I have to confess: I have always been a bit of a happiness skeptic. Sure, I know that God intends us to have deep and abiding joy. But somehow the term “happy” seemed to be joy’s cheaper, less durable knock-off. In addition to this, there have been plenty of times in my life that the joy […]
Read more
She held the box of ice cream cones in her hands, staring at it. For a child who was about to enjoy a cold scoop of ice cream on a sweet, crispy cone, she sure looked glum. “What’s wrong?” I asked. Youngest sighed, set the box of cones on the counter. “It’s just that the […]
Read more
I came from a tradition where church meant stained glass and polished wood, beautiful paintings touched with gold and ceilings arched so high above that you could imagine they brushed heaven itself. I will forever be able to call to mind the feeling of sitting in the quiet of those places, the way the light filters […]
Read more
It’s been with me since I was five, the antique upright piano. Its finish is deep ebony, the surface crackled with age, the keys chipped here and there like a well-worn smile. And when I can’t find the words, I go there and let the contents of my heart flow out in the pure […]
Read more
Facebook
Twitter
GooglePlus
Flickr
Pinterest