May 31 I journaled my way across Texas’s panhandle last June, writing things like this: I’ve noticed the plants here grow together. Only occasionally is a shrub brave enough to weather the prairie alone. And those that do wear brambles to prove their fortitude. My Missouri home is green and humid. The contrast between Southwestern … Continue reading Shrubs and Trees and Living Water
The Internet isn’t just bawling with dark news and death tolls these days. Look a little closer and you’ll find stories— hopeful ones. Old people still madly in love, communities using the web to unite, neighbors singing the Doxology from their porches at nine sharp each morning. And then there’s the story God’s spinning smack … Continue reading Story of stories
March 8 The older I get, the more I think about the coming kingdom. Maybe it’s because my sin is uglier. Maybe it’s because my suffering stings. Maybe it’s because I’m more in love with Jesus and the thought of endless days with him captivates me. I think about Christ’s kingdom, yes. But do I … Continue reading Part One: Do You Pray These Three Words?
I brush my teeth at a window that overlooks our side yard, where we’ve got tarps stretched under the evergreen trees and anchored by cement blocks. Each morning looks like the last— drab skies and winter wind over the tarped ground, my elbows on the windowsill. It’s barely March and I’m achy under spring fever. … Continue reading Spring Fever and Our Longing for Something New
In C. S. Lewis’s Prince Caspian, Lucy Pevensie shakes awake her siblings to announce she’s seen the lion, Aslan. “I can’t see anything,” said Peter after he had stared his eyes sore. “Can you, Susan?” “No, of course I can’t,” snapped Susan. “Because there isn’t anything to see. She’s been dreaming.”[i] But Susan later admits … Continue reading A Pevensie, a Pharisee, and the Imagination to See Reality
January 12 Christopher Ash is a wise man and his commentary on Psalm 119 is opening my eyes to behold wondrous things out of God’s law. He writes: “We need to come to scripture on our knees, praying, ‘Lord, teach me, teach me, teach me.’”[i] Ash has introduced me to a weak yet Word-hungry psalmist: … Continue reading “Teach Me, Teach Me, Teach Me”
Christmas is closing in and I’ve been thinking about Jesus’s grandfathers: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, David. These were men with staffs in their hands and wool in their beards. Centuries before sheep and herdsmen welcomed Jesus into the world, shepherding personified Israel. Then came the age of kings and “shepherd” took on a new, royal … Continue reading The Shepherd of all Shepherds
November 10 “Why, God?” I know I’m not the only Christian who has clenched my fists and asked that question. I’m guessing the Israelites asked it too. And do you know what? God’s answer is as clear as today’s autumn sky. I’m reading across the psalms and prophets right now and noticing this repeated truth: … Continue reading Why God Does What He Does
November 3 My friends and I know we need Jesus. We're broken people, seeking renewal in him. That’s why I love Wednesday night prayer meeting. It’s real, raw, sometimes painful. We share where God has us, why it hurts, and how deeply we need Jesus to refresh our hearts. Last Wednesday, my friends and I … Continue reading Pray for Renewal, Then Revival
September 8 Eugene Peterson is a master with words and this week, I’ve been enjoying his modern interpretation of the Psalms. It’s an honest, fearless, worshipful message inspired by Scripture’s truth: God, my God, I yelled for help And you put me together. God, you pulled me out of the grave, Gave me another chance … Continue reading Psalm 30 (In Modern Language)
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