Misc
EnJOYing Election Season: Cultivating Joy in the Chaos
“Evangelicals for Harris” are all CHINOS — Christians In Name Only. God is not fooled. Neither should we be fooled. My Social Media feeds are full of vitriol…from both sides of the political divide. “How can any Christian vote for a convicted criminal, rapist, insurrectionist, etc.” And it grieves me. The Bible says that all…
Read More Misc
Art and Beauty: How to Embrace Beauty to Change Culture
“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way… things I had no words for.” ― Georgia O’Keeffe Sometimes we forget that God created beauty. At least we evangelicals who value utilitarianism above beauty and art do. We forget that God is the original artist. He paints on canvases…
Read More Misc
A Reason to Go to Church: God’s Presence and Joy
“Silence is the perfectest herald of joy. I were but little happy if I could say how much.” Claudio, Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare God does something special when His people come together as a congregation. When we sing, take communion, baptize people, listen to the preaching of God’s Word, His presence comes to us in a special…
Read More Misc
Joy and Presence
Just a note…I have missed sharing this space with you all. So through prayer and planning, my goal is to post here twice a month. I hope you are blessed. Where Joy is Found You [the LORD] reveal the path of life to me;in your presence is abundant joy;at your right hand are eternal pleasures. Psalm…
Read More Rethinking Christian Life
Obedience, Running, and Calling
“So don’t throw away your confidence, which has great reward. For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised…But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved.” Hebrews 10:35-36 and 39 CSB I’ve been silent for…
Read More Rethinking Challenges, Rethinking Christian Life, Rethinking Faith
A Season of Silence: Experiencing God’s Peace
“Silence is the perfectest herald of joy: I were but little happy, if I could say how much.” -William Shakespeare Much Ado About Nothing Words have been hard for me lately. Silence is easier. I wasn’t so full of joy I could not share like Claudio in the above quote. The big emotions – all of…
Read More Right Thinking Wrong Thinking
What to Think: How to Boss Around Your Mind
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8 ESV God cares about what we think. In fact, He gives us a list of the types…
Read More Right Thinking Wrong Thinking
Mind Your Mind: Joining the Battle for Joy
This past weekend I had the privilege of leading two break-out sessions at Arkansas Baptist Women’s Inspire Conference. What a blessing it was to see about 900 women from all over Arkansas gather together to receive encouragement, correction, refreshment, and learn to fall more in love with Jesus. The session I led was called Changing…
Read More Rethinking Christian Life
The Hope that Does Not Disappoint
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces…
Read More Rethinking Christian Life, Rethinking Hard Times
Sovereignty: Three Ways to Trust God When Failure Looms
Last week I watched Clemson trounce Alabama in the NCAA’s Football National Championship game. Clemson was up 31-16 at halftime and never looked back. After a botched fake field goal at the beginning of the third quarter Alabama’s loss seemed imminent. Failure, at least in that game, was coming. Still Alabama did not walk off…
Read More Rethinking Christian Life
How to Praise God When Storms Rage
“I will praise You in this storm…” I’ve made that choice many times. I have stood at the edge of the storm and decided that “I will praise God even here.” But the will and the follow-through do not always go hand-in-hand. Paul said it best, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I…
Read More Rethinking Christian Life
Trust, Joy, and Labor
If joy is found in trust… Trusting God has a good plan. Trusting His justice. Trusting God cares. …then do we just wallow in the status quo? Do we simply say “this is how God made me and so I trust His plan, His justice, and that He cares. So I don’t have to do…
Read More Rethinking Christian Life
Finding Joy When it is Unfair
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 ESV Last night my favorite basketball team, the Kansas Jayhawks, beat their in-state rivals, the Kansas…
Read More Rethinking Christian Life
Finding Joy in Grief
And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10b ESV Grief can rub a soul so raw that the soothing balm joy feels like it acid. And it can taint a mind so that it only sees pain, heartache, curses. But joy of the Lord is strength. Not the only…
Read More Rethinking Christian Life
When God Doesn’t Fix Your Problem
My friend Lindsey Bell is sharing her heart and part of her new book Unbeaten over here today. I pray her words touch your hearts and encourage you today. When God Doesn’t Fix Your Problem By Lindsey Bell What if God doesn’t fix your problem?
Of course, I hope He does. I hope He heals your…
Read More Rethinking Christian Life
Kicking Against the Goads
“And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'” Acts 26:14 (ESV) def goad: a spiked stick used for driving cattle. There are times in my life that…
Read More Rethinking Christian Life
How to Breathe When Hope Hurts
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12 (ESV) Sometimes hope burns and scars a weary soul like acid. I knew God was able, but He wasn’t doing what He was able to do for me. For every wonderful God praising miracle there are many who…
Read More Rethinking Christian Life
Discipling: If It Doesn’t Hurt Sometimes You May Not Be Doing It Right
“…my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!” Galatians 4:19 (ESV) Childbirth is no joke. Carol Burnett said, “Giving birth is like taking your lower lip and forcing it over you head.” She is funny, but pretty accurate. To endure natural childbirth women train…
Read More Rethinking Christian Life
Remember…When All You Want to Do is Forget
There are certain things I would rather forget. Things I want others to forget. I want to pretend it never happened and move on… Isn’t that what forgiveness is? Shouldn’t everyone just forgive and forget? Move past my mistakes…and just go on? “Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath…
Read More Rethinking Christian Life
How to Keep Serving God After You Blew It…Again
You really blew it. My inner diatribe kept poking at the stained place in my soul. Your words may have hurt more than helped. Others may hear about how hurtful your words were. And you want God to increase your speaking ministry? How can God use the likes of you? Unfortunately I deal with this type of…
Read More