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Danger and Opportunity
-Photo by Artem Bali on Pexels.comIn Chinese, the character for the concept of “crisis” is a combination of “danger” and “opportunity.” Where there is danger to physical or psychological safety, there is also an opportunity to respond. A crisis requires some sort of response. Many parts of the world are… Read More -
Grace and the Thorn
-Recently I was involved in a deep conversation with a small group of women friends. We were each sharing current life circumstances that bring on the temptation to be afraid. Many of these surrounded family relationships. There was an adoption story, a foster mothering story, marriage stories, toddler stories, and… Read More -
Another Take on Complementarianism
-In 2017, as I was completing my seminary degree, my penultimate class was a residency in pastoral theology. My professor was an esteemed evangelical pastor, scholar, author, and educator. As we began discussing pertinent theological issues in the life of the contemporary church, I quickly realized that I strongly disagreed… Read More -
Saying and/or Doing
-Jesus was often confronted by religious leaders about his origins, his doctrine, or his allegiance to rabbinic traditions. On one such occasion, he was asked about the source of the power he manifested in healing diseases and delivering from demons. He tilted the conversation back to their faithlessness and hypocrisy… Read More -
Tale of Two Doggies, Part 1: Learning to Follow
-I have two dogs. Scooter is a wonderful older gentleman, a Welsh Terrier, with manners from the old country. He doesn’t say much, but has great expressive ears and eyebrows that tell us what interests him and what disturbs him. He’s quite domesticated. Some of you are his fans on… Read More -
Aging in the Kingdom
-Growing older, reaching an age that is considered “senior,” can be quite disconcerting, and it feels like it is closing in on me. What could long be denied through the magical, invincibility delusions of youth become inescapably real. Aches and pains, dyspepsia, insomnia, memory failures, etc.—these are symptoms not entirely… Read More -
God-Promotion or Self-Promotion
-We live in a culture that tells us that we must sell and promote ourselves in order to achieve success. We must find the right social identity, message, product, or service, and then fight for “airtime” in the vast and very noisy public arena. Social media reinforces this greatly. When… Read More -
It's a Lonely Road Sometimes
-Recently I was talking and praying with a young woman who comes from a ministry and missionary family, and is a missionary herself. We spoke of the experience of being misunderstood and rejected because of our faith. This can cause a feeling of loneliness, and may tempt us to keep… Read More -
People of the Book: Culture Shock
-Years ago, I fell in love with the words of Scripture before becoming acquainted with their author. I was raised to value education, literature, and learning. So as soon as someone pointed me to the Bible, I found it incredibly deep, rich, exciting and compelling, and studying it thoroughly became… Read More -
The Real Deal
-The Bible really does say, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33). In fact, Jesus himself said it. It’s in red letters. What in the world does this mean? I might better frame the question: what… Read More -
Work and Courage
-Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.comIn his best-selling book, The Road Less Traveled, M. Scott Peck proposed a definition of love from a psychiatrist’s perspective. He wrote, “When we extend ourselves, when we take an extra step or walk an extra mile, we do so in opposition to the inertia of… Read More -
Time to Believe
-I came across a song in the 1990’s by Clay Crosse that I have enjoyed singing from time to time, called “Time to Believe.” One verse of the song is “Sounds tear through the morning, you pull yourself from your bed...Try so hard to quiet your mind, dodging thoughts of… Read More
The Scripture Comes to Life Blog
One of my greatest joys is reading and studying the Bible. While I do so, I pray that God will give me supernatural insight I’ve never seen or heard preached before. He has faithfully done so. A teacher at heart, my study is driven by a desire to teach and share the wonderful truths he reveals.
I’ve written on a wide variety of themes and topics. The blogs are searchable by topic and with keywords.
As you read, may Scripture come to life for you in many marvelous and helpful ways.