In so many ways, trust is a choice based on a decision built on evidence.  When someone does what they say, we build trust . . . and when they don’t, it breaks down. What are the evidences that God is worthy and safe to trust, and what is likely to happen in our lives […]

Genuine self-stewardship doesn’t push to the front of the line but is humble and serves. Maybe that’s why God’s plan for funding his mission in the world calls for us to give up our own luxury for the benefit of others. Philippians 2.

Sometimes people get possessive of truth. It’s sort of like when we hear good news; we want to gossip it out as quickly as possible so we get to be the town crier, the deliverer of the news. People can even get messed up sharing good news for bad or selfish reasons. Paul calls us […]

“A thrill of hope; the weary world rejoices. For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.” It is the morning after. The morning after everything changed. Without this “Holy Night,” there would be no ministry, no cross, no resurrection, no hope. Today our world is weary, and wherever there is a lack of rejoicing, maybe […]

“Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!” Emmanuel—God with us. What is it that made the shepherds run back into the fields rejoicing? What was it that caused the Wise Men to fall on their face and bow down and worship? It was this fact and this fact alone: God is not a […]

When our brains awaken, our eyes open and our ears hear; we feel the sheets and inhale the scent of a new day. Whatever that is and wherever it is, that is our environment. There are parts we don’t determine, but beyond those element that are out of our control, what are we doing about […]

We best practice our faith in the task of living together in community with our fellow humans. God uses the “brother and sister” motif in the church to demonstrate to the world that there is fellowship in Christ across cultural, economic, national, and ethnic barriers—we are ONE in Christ. The challenge is not to just […]

Worship is critical because of two main aspects: we become like that which we worship (everybody worships something), and worship keeps us in the proper perspective of not thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought. We are the worshippers, not the object of worship. This isn’t just about worship services, but about lives of […]

How does rest enable, and lack of rest disable, our ability to live a God-honoring life in other aspects? Why is rest important? How well can we serve if we aren’t honoring God by giving our bodies and minds the rest needed to be equipped for serving people?

God has built spiritual gifts into us and made them part of us to be used for the benefit of others and for His glory. Like all gifts from God, they are grace gifts. We do not deserve them, but because God loves us, He gives them to us. They provide motivation and help to […]