Tag: bible
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Getting to Know the Holy Spirit
“The Holy Spirit isn’t an ‘it,’ but a person. You can say ‘He’.” I don’t remember who told me that, or when. But someone did, and it sparked a Bible-quisition when I was a new Christian. The more I read about the Holy Spirit in Scripture, the more excited I was about the reality that…
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The Opportunity You Can’t See Yet
You look around and nothing seems promising. The only way ahead, it would seem, is to keep trudging along. It feels wrong and it sounds hopeless. No opportunities have come up and you’re running out of ones to dream of. Hang in there. Nothing is impossible with God. That means that when there is no…
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A Silly Question and an Insightful Answer
It was our first trip away together post-honeymoon. We’d driven all day, stopped to see a friend, and had been on the road for hours again. Since it was pitch black in the wilderness of Vermont and he was driving, I wasn’t watching the road closely until I felt the slam of the brakes. Looking…
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Seeing People as People
They didn’t see a man. They didn’t see his pain. They didn’t notice his need. They didn’t care that he was in the house of the Lord. What they cared about was entrapping their perceived enemy, the one who threatened long-held traditions and the law that elevated them to a pious, powerful place. They wanted…
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God-Sized Dreams Takeaways
Are you a dreamer? Do you have God-given dreams? Last week I got to wrap up a book study of You’re Made for a God-Sized Dream by Holley Gerth. It’s been convicting and encouraging to read along with everyone. Even if you haven’t read it, I hope you’ll benefit from the highlights I’ve learned along the…
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Spring Starts With a Thaw
Some seasons feel like just getting by. Though God provides what we need, we receive His gifts coolly. Like the frozen ground in winter, we see the blessings drifting down as a mere covering until at last the sun comes again. We’re numb with the cold of same old, same old. Habituated to our hurts…
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To Rest or…Is It Rest? That is the Question.
4 o’clock. I weighed the choice in my mind. It had been a long day, and I wanted to rest. TV is a go-to when I want to relax. But I knew I had more to do. I knew if I watched TV immediately, I’d lose time with my guy catching up on my to-do…
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When It’s Not Over
“The end,” the story says. Script writers know that to successfully complete a TV series or movie, you must wrap up the loose ends. At the end of a person’s life, there is a service to conclude their time on earth. When you get sick, one of the first questions you ask the doctor is…
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Wasn’t Always
I’ve never met a happily married person who’s always been happily married. I’ve never met an adult who wasn’t once a child. I’ve never known a Christian who hasn’t been without Christ. When Jesus said He came to call the sick, not the healthy, His point was this. None of us has always been righteous….
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Give Me My Due or Else…
During one of my experiences working in a school, I encountered a new disciplinary system. Operating under the philosophy that positive reinforcement would encourage students to do their due, the school offered students tickets. A small “store” was open during lunch so students could exchange their tickets for various goodies. Although possibly a good idea,…