We all want to believe that we can exercise significant control over the quality, direction, and even duration of our lives. But we cannot fully control what limits us (and how) any more than we can control the wind. But, oh, how we wish to be unencumbered by such restrictions! They feel like walls, blocking us from doing good things, even biblical things.
Read MoreOne must be willing to accept unknowns and risks to enjoy the benefits of exploring new places. Staying put feels infinitely easier and safer. By remaining in place, we believe we can maintain the stability of our comfortable routines and avoid unexpected pitfalls inherent to traveling. But the truth is that whether we physically travel or not, we are always on the move, like herded sheep.
Read MoreSince fracturing my wrist falling backward on ice months ago, I have occasionally felt discouraged by the slow healing process. Recovery has been hampered by so many complications that I have wondered if my wrist will ever function normally again or stop hurting.
Read MoreWhen I was a child, my grandparents retired to a rural lake in North Carolina. By rural, I mean the middle of nowhere. Each summer, I spent weeks with them, long days marked by the simmering heat that seemed to radiate through my body as I circled my bike around and around on their concrete patio. I loved being with my grandparents, but most days, I woke up to navigate a child’s worst nightmare: nothing to do.
Read MoreMy hometown was rattled recently when our unofficial mascot, an old calico cat named Francine, went missing. She had been a beloved fixture at our local Lowe’s home improvement store for almost a decade, until one day, unbeknownst to anyone, she boarded a delivery truck headed to a massive distribution center in the next state.
Read MoreWhen I remember what the locusts have eaten in my life through death, illness, rebellion, injury, sin, and more – I feel anger, sorrow, and frustration. But I also feel a longing for it all to be made right. Sadly, what humans unleashed in the Garden still slithers through our lives today, looking for something or someone to devour. In this world, locusts will always eat things.
Read MoreIn Christian vernacular, spiritual highs are often called "Mountaintop Moments" because they make us feel closer to heaven and God. But what does it mean about God or our faith if we just are not feeling it?
Read MoreI could feel it happening again. It was my son's college graduation week, and my to-do list was expanding to unrealistic proportions. I would have to do more and move faster to get it all done. But I was tired; I could feel my energy and patience diminishing by lunchtime each day.
Read MoreTalking about our faith in God to others can be intimidating on many levels. We may feel awkward, unprepared, and vulnerable when presented with an opportunity to share. Why should we go beyond our comfort zones to tell other people the reason for our hope?
Read MoreOnce, during a visit to Stockholm, Sweden, I took two of my sons to a golf course an hour north of the city. Getting there was not easy without a car. It involved riding a train and a bus, then walking two miles through rural countryside.
Read MoreBecoming a Christian bridges the "infinite abyss" born of humanity's separation from God in the Fall, but it does not guarantee we will never stand at the edge of that abyss and feel its emptiness again. Even though Christ filled our God-shaped void at the point of salvation, there is still a chasm between where we are and where we will be, and we constantly sense it.
Read MoreThroughout the Bible, God refers to himself as our Shepherd, as does Jesus in the New Testament. But shepherd is just one of many metaphors God uses to help us understand him and our relationship with him. Of all the metaphors in the Bible that he could have referenced in the birth announcement, why did he choose to highlight this one?
Read MoreWhether seeking to unravel underwater mysteries, wondering what lies outside Earth's orbit, or forming attachments to others, our desire to "know" is a clue to why God created us.
Read MoreA few summers ago, I took a pottery class. I thought making a pot looked so easy and fun until I tried to throw one on the wheel myself. Every attempt ended as an ugly lump of clay. It turns out that making a pot is not as easy as I believed. And neither is being made into something new.
Read MoreA visit to Alaska, where every activity seemed fraught with danger, made me question my vacation choices. More importantly, it made me consider my highest priority as a parent.
Read MoreI learned (the hard way) about the critical nature of sleep for health and functioning. But it took me a long time to learn that rest is also essential beyond the physical realm. Our souls need rest as much as our bodies. And the consequences of not partaking in spiritual rest can be even more devastating than those caused by sleep deprivation.
Read MoreToo Much Times are perfect storms when our most demanding challenges meet our most significant weaknesses and can lead to our worst moments.
Read MoreComfort zones are those familiar places where we feel secure and have an illusion of control. We tend to avoid anything that could upset such blissful equilibrium or cause discomfort, so it takes force to propel oneself out of a comfort zone and into a novel situation. For me, that force is FOMO: the fear of missing out.
Read MoreIn 2021, a group kayaking off the coast of Scotland noticed a lone sheep at the bottom of a steep slope on an isolated, rocky beach. The creature followed them along the shoreline, plaintively bleating as they glided past.
Read MoreEvaluating the causes of our anger and how we respond to it is not easy. The week I wrote this, I got mad at someone who almost side-swiped my car while they were texting. In a world chock full of moments like this and much, much worse, how can anger help lead us to Christian growth and maturity?
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