On:
In: The Blessing of Living, Uncategorized
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Someday history will tell it. They will say they were on a mission to save lives. On this day, a team of international divers faced perilous conditions, with limited life-giving oxygen and adequate space to swim to rescue a youth soccer team trapped in a cave in Thailand. Regardless of the outcome, they recognized someone needed a rescue. Selfless Samaritans fought to preserve life at the risk of losing their own. Their brave mission is proof of their humanity and the value they’ve placed on life. In dark, troubled waters with the odds stacked against them, they could still see the blessing in living, theRead More →

On:
In: Made Real
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The army of women who took to social media with the hashtag #MeToo. The recovering addict, who when asked how he was doing replied, “I’m medium to fair.” The girlfriend who called in the middle of the night to say she’d left her husband and found someone new. The coach who admits the team is ill-prepared and its playbook is outdated. Refreshingly honest— all of them. Their confessions like oxygen in the smog of noise and niceties. Lately, I have a newfound appreciation for these brief encounters with honesty. They are brave and something to behold at a time when being airbrushed and animated isRead More →

On:
In: Easter Sunday
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“Noooo! I don’t want to!” At four years old, she’s already fiercely independent. At four years old, my foster daughter has already known more loss, disappointment, and pain than my four decades of adulthood. So when her eyes glare at me with laser-sharp focus from under a furrowed brow, and a tantrum of tears meant to test my resolve (and my love), I think of Jesus. There are no words. Out of all the books I’ve read and Easter Sunday sermons I’ve heard, overflowing with comforting wisdom, prophetic prose, and life lessons, there are still no words adequate, big enough, deep enough to contain andRead More →

On:
In: The Right People
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There once was a young man who wanted to introduce his new love to his mother. To soften the introduction, he broached the subject with his mother first. Because lineage and social class were important to her, she quickly asked, “Who are her people?” The mother’s motives aside, like any concerned parent, she wanted to know more about the young woman who had won her son’s heart. What cloth was she cut from? What did she want? What kind of company did this young woman keep? They were all legitimate questions just not the right ones. Indeed the people in our lives are a reflectionRead More →

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In: Uncategorized
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“Father, I need you.” Those four simple words have saved me more times than I can count. When ends didn’t meet, and bills were overdue, help arrived. When I needed a way out of a bad situation, a window suddenly opened. When I thought I’d reached the end, there was a staircase beyond what appeared to be the point of no return. That simple prayer, time and again, ushered in help at my greatest point of need. Desperation makes praying knees go deeper. Those four powerful words do battle with pride, plans, and ego-driven power. ASKING FOR HELP Those four words replace pride with humility.Read More →

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In: Uncategorized
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It’s time to come out of the dark. When a gifted singer’s soulful voice fills the sanctuary, we see a light. It inspires us to dance, shout, and lift our hands. When a gifted neurosurgeon’s skillful hands remove a brain tumor, there’s a light illuminating the path to better health for his patient. When a chef creates a culinary masterpiece, there’s a delightful light of pure joy on each plate for her customers. FAITH IS LIGHT So imagine if fear silenced the singer, limited thinking convinced the neurosurgeon there’s no money for medical school, and insecurity kept the chef out of the kitchen. They wouldRead More →

On:
In: But Not For Grace
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It was supposed to be a quick two-hour drive from home back to college after a long weekend with family. As she made her way down the two-lane highway, she took in the familiar landscape. Small towns and farmland whizzed by in her side view mirror as the radio played. It was beautiful. And then, it wasn’t. Clunk, clunk, clunk! She could feel her car slowing down no matter how hard she pressed on the gas pedal. Was it the steering wheel? Had the transmission gone out? Clunk, clunk, clunk Suddenly, the car stopped. One of the rear tires looked like melted rubber crunched underneathRead More →

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In: Be New, Uncategorized
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After a little more than a year at my first job after college, I decided minimum wage and twelve-hour work days just wasn’t God’s calling on my life. So I packed up my belongings (which wasn’t much) and moved to another city to attend graduate school. A few years later, I would once again load up a U-Haul truck with my corkboard furniture, a futon, and my ambition to drive halfway across the country to another state. I knew not one soul. No friends. No family. Nothing but a job and an ambitious, crazy plan. I was an adventurous stranger in a foreign land. ThenRead More →

On:
In: Winning Within
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Ouch! That’s how it feels when an uncomfortable truth washes over you and denial is no longer an adequate flotation device. Could it be the promotion that passed us by, the marriage that failed, the friendship that suffered, and the ambitious goals that collected dust on the shelf were our handiwork? The comfort of blaming an outside source is of no comfort when that source is self. The good news is we can win from within. The first step toward this personal victory is always the hardest part. Using myself as an example, I’m thoroughly successful at self-hazing when I’m not pleased with my professionalRead More →

On:
In: Who's Behind You?
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Live long enough and you’ll lose a friend or two—maybe even three or four along your journey. Just like the fickleness of children at recess, people grow in different directions; they have a right to change. Sometimes friendship just comes down to a reason and a season. But, then there are the reasons that lead to an unfortunate outcome – the breaking of a bond with someone you once considered a best friend. More so than disappointment, there’s that undeniable sting that comes with the feeling of betrayal. After a fallen friendship, I’ve taken great comfort in Psalm 55, and these honest verses that acknowledgeRead More →