But when the heck did we buy into the Enemy’s attack that Christian’s are hypocrites? One of the fundamental ideas in following Jesus is our ongoing imperfection and need for daily repentance. Without it, we will always be frustrated by wrong expectations.
Read MoreAs you prepare to share Jesus - get your feet firmly grounded.
Read MoreGod’s business can’t be done apart from Him.
Read MoreFor Jesus, it is always about family, God’s family
Read MoreFamily is never an intellectual matter—it is always much deeper.
Read MoreGod often asks us to offer GRACE within His Family. At times it doesn’t turn out the way we hope. At other times it does. It almost always comes at personal cost. Who are your close brothers and sisters in Christ?
Read MoreFamily is tricky. Family is hard. Yet, today I am reminded that God is serious about redemption. He is serious about you and I being adopted as sons and daughters through Jesus. God is serious about Him being your Father.
Read MoreIt’s Christmas Eve, and for many little ones, the waiting is almost over. When I was growing up, Christmas Eve was when we put up the tree and more. Our tradition was born, in part, from celebrating Advent, that season of preparation, that season of waiting. Our tradition also helped to keep my parents sane. There were four of us, and our excitement about Christmas grew exponentially as December 25th approached. Filling Christmas Eve with a mountain of things to do kept us fully occupied until we rushed to church at Midnight. It was a good plan. Yet the waiting…oh, the waiting to get to Christmas was torture!
Read MoreWe started this journey awhile back: April 16, some 165 days ago. When you spend over 5 months working at something, it pays to reflect. When we began, I wrote: “And sometimes it's messy. But we need to learn our story. Not facts, but rather our family story. Because at the heart of that story is our God. Reading Genesis, we will come face to face with evil and good; hatred and love; and law and grace. What we will find is not just the story of humanity, but of how our God loves us.” As I reflect a few things stand out. They have to do with God’s family, God’s purpose, God’s method, and more…
Read MoreI am a dad. My shortcomings are ever-present in my mind. Please, don’t try and talk me out of them. Partly it is how I am wired: seeing what could have been and lamenting what wasn’t. Partly it is this “bit in me” that wants to not duck my responsibility. Partly it is being raised on TV shows that portrayed families in such an idyllic way, that my sense of reality is warped. (Right now you are probably thinking you need to pray for my wife—you should.) I have written about family before, here, and here, and here, and here… Family is important. Noah and his three sons begin the human family again—or do they?
Read MoreThere is a phrase some use. “That’s my baby!” We apply it to our boats, our cars, the latest creation we’ve made…even our…babies. It communicates our deep connection, our deep investment, our deep love—for whatever is crowned with that phrase. When you pour yourself into something—your sweat, your energy, yourself—it is natural to become deeply committed.
Read MoreFamily is where we should Flourish. Family is where we should be able to Fail. The operative word is “should.” Our families don’t always work out the way they should. In fact, sometimes we feel like our families are failures.
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