The Bible teaches that we should see conflict neither as an inconvenience nor as an occasion for selfish gain, but rather as an opportunity to demonstrate the presence and power of God….it encourages us to look at conflict as an opportunity to glorify God, to serve others, and to grow to be like Christ (Ken […]
Jesus Entered Her Pain
However, there was one who later came and entered her pain and shame [II Sam. 13:1-22]. Jesus Christ was killed, not for revenge but to bear her shame on the cross and to offer her a new robe of righteousness to replace her torn robes of disgrace. How Tamar felt after the assault, described in […]
Incomplete Without Community
No one really debates the need for people to exist within community. It is not merely a Christian understanding; it is a human understanding. But belonging in and of itself will never be enough. Hanging the need for community on belonging is like hanging the need for water on thirst. The need for both is deeper. […]
Deep Joy
Maturity in Christ has a certain look. It is characterized by, among other things, deep joy. Deep joy is not, as one dictionary put it, “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.” The deep joy that is spoken of in the Bible is more […]
heaven has begun
When we lift our inward eyes to gaze upon God we are sure to meet friendly eyes gazing back at us, for it is written that the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout all the earth. The sweet language of experience is ‘Thou God seest me.’ When the eyes of the soul […]
sweetest love of Thee
Nicholas (of Cusa) was a true follower of Christ, a lover of the Lord, radiant and shining in his devotion to the Person of Jesus. His theology was orthodox, but fragrant and sweet as everything about Jesus might properly be expected to be. His conception of eternal life, for instance, is beautiful in itself and, […]
Thoughts on Death
The following is part of a letter I wrote to a friend who was concerned about death, but didn’t want to talk with me about it. That death thing can certainly bring thoughts about eternal things into much clearer focus, can’t they? We have a church of over 800 people now and a sister church […]
Specific Strategies to Try Pt. 2
11. Since the label “depression” cannot capture the complexity of your experience, what other words (especially words that can be keyed to Scripture) more concretely capture what is going on in your heart? 12. Get help. Ask a few people to pray for you and speak the truth to you. When you ask for prayer, […]
the body of Christ
The Bible says that “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Cor. 12:26). It says this is because we are one body, the body of Christ, and individually members of that body (1 Cor. 12:27). There are connections like this all over the Bible. When one […]