Ready for a Fresh, New Year
I love the hope of New Year’s Eve and the joy of anticipating a fresh start. New wine. New wineskins. I’m eager to grow in my faith and step into situations that require faith. I’m eager to think about how to bless others around me and live a Philippians 2 life that takes on the […]
Some Speaking Photos
These past few days, I’ve been in Minneapolis to speak at Cru’s Winter Conference on Seated and Sent. I met so many vibrant, hopeful Christians and heard the most beautiful worship music from the college student worship team. What wonderful people! What a powerful event!
New Wineskins
I recently began to study a curious passage in Matthew 9: Jesus tells his disciples that His teaching and His new way of being are radically different from the old ways of living to try to earn God’s favor through obedience. But Jesus says it like this: “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth […]
A Needed Comparison
Sometimes we need a little comparison to refine our poor attitude. For example, I recently find myself wishing I didn’t have a boring two hour flight. It’s too long. What will I do for two hours? The kind woman beside me begins to tell me about her travel plans for the day. After this two […]
A Little Snow for You
They Come Here
I love birds in winter. In Pennsylvania, certain birds migrate here just for the winter. Here? To our little Pennsylvania town? What’s there to see here? Well apparently, certain birds come here in winter, including the snowy owl! Our local newspaper reported today how “the dark-eyed junco . . . fly here from Canada each […]
Always Christmas
I remember C.S. Lewis’ line about how in Narnia, it’s always winter but never Christmas. Now, with Jesus, it’s always Christmas and never winter. We no longer endure a winter of the heart that’s devoid of fruitfulness and joy, that fears death, or sees no hope. It’s always Christmas now.
Follow the Star
In the book of Matthew, we read how the wisemen followed the star to know when and where Jesus had arrived. They understood the sign. The followed that light God gave. They looked upward. They let the light lead them. The followed the star. As we search for meaning and truth in our own live, […]
A Weaker Christmas
I’ve always loved that Jesus came as a weak baby. There’s something so biblical about weakness that hides a secret, counterintuitive strength. It’s like the upside world you inhabit in Philippians 2 where we learn how the servant becomes the exalted one. You know the mystery: the first become last; the last become first. You […]
Simple Gratitude
I love the practice of keeping a gratitude journal each morning. Today, I find myself so thankful for things that keep to a theme: nature. Do you find your gratitude contains a theme? I’m thankful that my Christmas amaryllis will bloom in the next few days. I’m thankful for the beautiful moon on the crisp […]