Tuesday, January 14, 2020 | Reflections
I love this passage from Psalms because it reminds us it’s okay to have seasons when we’re weary and wasted with grief. God loves us and wants us just as much when everything is a hot mess as when we have it all together.I had to learn this hard truth when I went...
Monday, January 13, 2020 | Reflections
When I was thirty years old, a medical issue unexpectedly ended my career in the Navy. My career had been my entire focus in life, and I defined my personhood and my worth by it. When everything came crashing down, I had to learn the true source of my worth in Christ....
Sunday, January 12, 2020 | Reflections
Growing up around boats and having served in the Navy, I learned to both dread and love storms at sea. Nothing else makes me feel so small and yet so connected to the enormity of God’s creation as a storm at sea.Our lives are filled with storms that can make us feel...
Saturday, January 11, 2020 | Reflections
The Bible has more than 31,000 verses and roughly 1,200 pages, give or take a few depending on the translation. How wonderful it is when a passage like this one from Colossians ties all of them together so neatly. Whatever else we read, whatever points of doctrine or...
Friday, January 10, 2020 | Reflections
A state trooper raised me. As an adult, I served several years as a sheriff’s deputy. Law enforcement officers often refer to themselves as sheepdogs—protectors of their flock. We learned to see the threats in every situation—everywhere.All of us shoul….(View...
Thursday, January 9, 2020 | Reflections
From The Archives: Thursday, January 9, 1936People who live together learn to love each other. What a wonderful fact it is that just living in a family causes love to be born! Mutual service begets love, and in turn love makes service a joy. We love others because...
Wednesday, January 8, 2020 | Reflections
When someone takes on more than they can handle, we might say they are “drinking from a fire hose.” When we spiritually thirst and surrender ourselves to Christ, God tells us to get ready: The force of many waters is headed our way.If Christ’s living water is meant...
Tuesday, January 7, 2020 | Reflections
When my daughters were babies, it seemed their sole concern was getting from one meal to the next—sometimes from one spoonful to the next. Many of us live our whole lives like babies, drifting between attempts to satiate ourselves. We don’t always look to good sources...
Monday, January 6, 2020 | Reflections
For a sailor navigating dangerous waters on a stormy night, no sight is more reassuring than a lighthouse. A steady lighthouse with a strong light both assures wayfarers of safety and shows the path to it.Likewise, the light of Christ shows us the way home in the...
Sunday, January 5, 2020 | Reflections
Imagine the euphoria of the Magi when they first behold Christ. Seeing God incarnate, they are overwhelmed with joy. We are called to follow in their footsteps, to rejoice with that same fervor and zeal. Our spiritual journey, the focused walk of our lives of faith,...
Saturday, January 4, 2020 | Reflections
We spend more than $600 billion annually on global advertising. Every cent of that money tells us that if we just buy the next shiny thing, we’ll be happy. Jesus never offers us easy promises. At the cross, he calls us to imitate nothing less than God. If imitating...
Friday, January 3, 2020 | Reflections
A few years ago I was out of work for the first time in my adult life. I ended up finding a sales job and lived solely off commissions. Each week was an exercise in faith. Through that experience I learned to feed on the “food that endures for eternal life.” Jesus...
Thursday, January 2, 2020 | Reflections
From the Archives: Saturday, November 16, 1935 What is the teaching of Christ about: war and peace; the training of youth; the economic injustices of our day; race barriers? Review the resolutions you have made this week. Talk out these subjects with others. Agree...
Wednesday, January 1, 2020 | Reflections
My wife and I enjoy following the British royal family. Their weddings, children, daily lives—we are fascinated by the wealth and privilege we can’t hope to attain in this life. The reading from Galatians reminds us that we are far wealthier than any royal house....
Tuesday, December 31, 2019 | Reflections
New year’s resolutions are intended to make our lives better in some way. Better habits, more productivity, less stress. I think James is right to remind us that we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Today we stand on the precipice of clean slate, a fresh start, as...
