“Just do it.” “If you dream it, you can achieve it.” “Believe in yourself, and the world will believe in you too.” “Embrace yourself.” “You are enough.” Slogans like these came into vogue during the 1990s self-esteem movement, but they have proven to have significant staying power. They reinforce the most prominent idol of our … Continue reading “You Are Enough”…And Other Lies the Gospel Refutes
How Can You Have a Quiet Heart in a Noisy World?
Ping! You receive a “breaking news” notification. Another school shooting. Sighing, you open your phone and read the story. Tears fill your eyes as you learn about the victims of such a senseless crime. Ping! Another notification. A friend just texted you asking what time you’d like to meet for dinner. You begin your response. … Continue reading How Can You Have a Quiet Heart in a Noisy World?
Time: A Most Precious Commodity
October 21, 1985. A date that will live in…infamy? Okay, maybe not infamy, but box office glory, to be sure. In case you didn’t recognize it, October 21, 1985 is the date Marty McFly must get back to in order to get “back to the future” in the film of the same name. The Michael … Continue reading Time: A Most Precious Commodity
The Mighty Fortress
Death. Plague. Illness. Temptation. Anxiety. Tragedy. One of Christendom’s best-loved hymns was likely born out of a season of heavy trial. Though the exact details surrounding the writing of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” have been lost to history, scholars believe that Luther penned his most famous hymn sometime during the years 1527-28, a … Continue reading The Mighty Fortress
What Martha’s Problem REALLY Was
I doubt many stories in the Bible are more relatable than the account of Mary and Martha. However, the character with whom I relate has changed over time. As a kid, I heard the story, convinced that I would never struggle like Martha. Of course Mary did the right thing! Who would want to work … Continue reading What Martha’s Problem REALLY Was
The Dying Fruit of Patience
“I can’t wait to have patience, cuz patience is a wonderful thing! Hurry up, let me have, gotta get it now; I want it more than anything!1” Those words, sung on a cassette tape I had as a kid, still accurately describe my life. I hate waiting for anything. And, thankfully, I don’t have to … Continue reading The Dying Fruit of Patience
The Treasure of Fearing the Lord
What could possess a person to put his life and reputation in jeopardy, to steal one of the most important documents in American history, to evade the FBI, and to bind and gag his own father? If you have ever seen Disney’s National Treasure, you’ll know that the answer is a treasure of inestimable value. … Continue reading The Treasure of Fearing the Lord
Escapism Is the Enemy of Endurance
Remember the fable of the Tortoise and the Hare? As I remember it, it goes something like this: An easygoing tortoise challenges a cocksure hare to a footrace. Certain of an easy win, the hare agrees. At the sound of the starting gun, the hare sprints out to an insurmountable lead, while the tortoise moseys … Continue reading Escapism Is the Enemy of Endurance
The Power of Quiet
In a comical twist of irony, as I sit down to write about quietness, my house is anything but quiet. Sounds of bathtime shenanigans echo down the stairs to my desk, shattering the calm that I so long for at the end of a busy day. For some of us, quiet moments are hard to … Continue reading The Power of Quiet
Drawing Water from the Springs of Salvation
Last winter I learned for sure (as if there had ever been any doubt) that I’m not cut out for pioneer life. This revelation came as the pump to our well bit the dust and we had to go without water for a couple of days. Before pictures of Laura Ingalls fill your head, our … Continue reading Drawing Water from the Springs of Salvation
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