Scarlett O’Hara and Sacrifice

I’ve recently been reading Gone with the Wind, the great American novel set against the backdrop of the Civil War and Reconstruction. Though I’ve read it a couple times before, this time through has been a little different. The hardships of war have seemed a little closer to home, given the crisis affecting our world … Continue reading Scarlett O’Hara and Sacrifice →

Do You Want to See God?

Smoke covered the mountain that had been engulfed in cloud and bombarded with lightning moments before. On the peak flames rose above the smoke. As the people stood gazing upwards, the mountain itself began to shake violently. Suddenly, the trumpet sounded, beckoning them to the boundary at the foot of the Mount of God. They … Continue reading Do You Want to See God? →

Hungry for Normal

I have a confession to make. I’m naïve. The day etched into the memories of anyone over the age of twenty-five or thirty, is likewise implanted in mine. I remember September 11, 2001, better than any other single day of high school. It began quite normally; because I lived in the Mountain Time Zone, I … Continue reading Hungry for Normal →

Pray, Don’t Negotiate

“Let My people go.” That’s the directive God gave to Pharaoh through Moses. All the people—tall, small, old, young, smart, talented, clumsy, and inept. All of them. All the animals too. “We shall go with our young and or old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we shall go, … Continue reading Pray, Don’t Negotiate →

Blessed Are the Gentle

Among the first words Jesus spoke in public ministry were these: “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5). We also find gentleness among the fruit of the Spirit listed for us in Galatians 5:22-23. Finally, James lists it as an attribute of heavenly wisdom (3:17). In short, gentleness isn’t optional

Where’s Your Treasure? Three Questions to Ask Yourself

Captain Jack Sparrow is not only a surprisingly clever pirate; he’s also a surprising judge of character. He tells young William Turner that he’s on his way to being a pirate because he, among other things, is “completely obsessed with treasure.” Will balks at this, only to have Jack wisely respond, “Not all treasure is … Continue reading Where’s Your Treasure? Three Questions to Ask Yourself →

The Hour Every Week When I Fear People the Most

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:1) Jesus is in the middle of His most famous sermon. He has just finished spinning His listeners’ heads by telling them that if they have gotten sinfully angry at … Continue reading The Hour Every Week When I Fear People the Most →