Mid-Days With Doug

I’d like to tell you the story of the eager student, and the wise teacher...

What are the gaps in your Christian life? (Don’t worry, this isn’t designed to make you feel even more guilty)

Steve Cuss says there are 3 gaps many Christian contend with:

1) I believe in God's love but struggle to experience it.

2) I believe God is intimately involved, but don't often see it.

3) I thought I would be further along by now.

Does any of that sound familiar?

How would you respond if I asked you this question: “Do you honestly believe God likes you, not just loves you because theologically God has to love you?” If you could answer with gut-level honesty, “Oh, yes, my Abba is very fond of me,” you would experience a serene compassion for yourself that approximates the meaning of tenderness.

Everybody experiences anxiety. Not everybody knows how to overcome it in healthy ways. My friend John, who is a pastor up in Michigan, has a way.

No, really. He did!

Now, I know…Billy Graham couldn’t have literally predicted the events unfolding in 2020, but his Bible-based message speaks uniquely to us 47 years later, addressing the universal struggles of fear, anxiety and hopelessness.

Before your feet hit the floor in the morning, this is a good prayer: “God, before I even start this day, I surrender my emotions to you. I want you to be Lord of my feelings. I want you to control my mind and my emotions.”

When it comes to gratitude, the more there is, the happier we are. It’s like a sliding scale… you intentionally increase your gratitude level, your happiness level goes up… find yourself practicing gratitude LESS, joy starts to decrease.

So, while there’s probably a lot of ways to stop gratitude in its tracks (and therefore stop growing in Christ) here are the 3 easiest I’ve found. Guaranteed to work!

I think a lot of times, like a lot of moms, my own mom was overwhelmed, maybe feeling weighed down by guilt and doubt. So I guess I just want to say to you, Mom, I don't know you specifically, but I know what moms go through. I really do.

There’s a difference between being INFORMED and having WISDOM. We have plenty of the former (though we maybe could use a bit more) but we seem as a nation to be severely lacking in the latter.

We celebrate each step our little ones take, not because we need them to reach a goal, but because that’s what parents do! We CELEBRATE baby steps.

God is exactly the same. You’re not as far as you want to be in some of your battles, but He delights in your attempts.