When Elijah was about to be taken into heaven on a chariot of fire, he asked his apprentice, Elisha, what he could do for him before he departed. What would you have asked of the prophet? His blessing? A letter of recommendation? Elisha wasted no time in boldly requesting, “
Read MoreGordan McDonald says that there are two different types of people, two different dispositions: Driven and Called. Those who are driven see the world through the lens of ownership. They own their positions. They own their position, they own their money, they own the people around them.
Read MoreI went through many experiences and experiments before I discovered my path with God. When I was in high school, I dreamed of being a medical missionary, flying a pontoon boat into the Amazon to bring the gospel to an unreached population. I started working toward a pilot’s license in high school, but was thwarted by my epilepsy.
Read MorePaul gave a very interesting and counterintuitive exhortation to the believers in Thessalonica saying, “make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.” (I Thess. 4:11)
Soren Kierkegard was a Danish theologian and philosopher of the mid-1800s. He was considered the first existential theologian. His emphasis was on our experience of God and required intentionality to become
Read MoreHave you ever faced a challenge in life that you didn’t know how it would be resolved? You felt like you didn’t have enough information. You hadn’t handled anything like that before. You felt pressured, which made it harder to tackle a complex issue. Well, friends, we are in such a time as that. None of us have been
Read More“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”
(2 Cor 5:18)
Ambassadors speak on behalf of their leader. They are the voice of the leader in a foreign land. They don’t have to
Read MoreVery little good comes out of our mouths when our emotions get hot and our adrenaline kicks in. Runaway emotions produce the worst results. When our emotions turn on our brains turn off. At that point we are not ‘in our right mind’. You know the feelings. We get hot, flush, blood pressure rises, we clench our teeth, make a fist, and/or anger emerges. When we sense that happening in ourselves, we need to stop and get our brains back in gear.
Read MoreWe don’t typically put ‘joy’ and ‘obedience’ in the same sentence. We tend to think there is more fun to be had when breaking rules. We think of rules as a drag, a ‘kill-joy’. Scripture assures us that it is the other way around. We will only know joy and happiness when we obey the rules. “You make known to me the Path of Life, you will fill me with joy in your presence.” (Ps. 16:11).
Read MoreWhen Paul wrote to Timothy, a colleague in ministry, he was not afraid to express his love for him. ‘I constantly remember you in my prayers… I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy.’ II Timothy 1:3-4 Love brings out the best in people by providing a foundation of acceptance, care and encouragement.
Read MoreTwo men were walking through a desert. Their journey was long and hard. Halfway through the barren landscape, one man struck the other man in anger. The other man bent down and wrote in the sand, ‘My friend struck me in the face today.’
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