When I walk in public places, I find myself searching the faces of strangers, wondering what their tragedies are. We all have them.
Anyone who tells you life is a bowl of cherries, easy-peasy, cloud nine, is full of it.
That doesn’t mean life can’t be full of joy, but joy isn’t dependent on what’s happening to [...]
I love that title, don’t you?
But really, please don’t feel sorry for me regarding my last post. I don’t feel sorry for me. When we are confronted with the not-so-pleasant details of others’ lives, we should remember that for that person, it is their life and so it’s never quite as bad as it sounds [...]
My father was really big on appearance, especially women’s appearance. I find it difficult to even go to these places in my memory because of the very deep pain. How he looked at women. How he behaved toward certain women. How he berated my mother and me and my sister. The unattainable standard he lifted [...]
Memes give me something to blog about, so that’s cool. My friend Jim at Lord I Believe, Help My Unbelief tagged me with this one about favorite books of the Bible. It was started by another friend of mine, Brother Maynard at Subversive Influence.
I don’t think I have a favorite entire book in the Bible. [...]
Grace doesn’t give us the ability to do supernatural deity-like feats of perfection. That would just make us more selfish. Instead, grace gives us the opportunity to lay down on the altar, die, and let Jesus be perfect, in us and through us.
Jesus tells us over and over not to be afraid.
Fear of the unknown can drive us to do many things to feel safe, not the least of which is to surround ourselves with unnecessary structure and rules and people to tell us the right things to do so that we never need make a mistake. [...]
Continue reading about If we’re safe there’s no need for faith
For me, it’s just gotta be heart.
How can we put God in a book and tell him to stay there?
Sure, there are facts we become aware of - they are few: Jesus, the Son of God, crucified for my redemption, resurrected for my eternality. But where we store these facts, where we plant those seeds, [...]
Sometimes I use “not caring” about something as a defense mechanism. Not caring becomes detachment, which becomes a place that feels safe. For instance, we have to find a vehicle because my previous automobile was totaled out by the insurance company after we hit a deer. So in the process of looking for a [...]
Continue reading about The difference between worry and care
I was writing a prayer today and I was asking God to please take away this awful burden of self, these daily temptations and driven desires that make endless demands on me. Please take it away, I was begging with my pen, and as I wrote those words I heard him say, Please give it [...]
Jesus takes away my sin nature, but what about the rest of me? Does he completely change my entire nature? Or is it just my sin nature that has to go? If he changes me completely then what of being fearfully and wonderfully made? What of being created in Dad’s image? Does this mean I [...]
