Different generations seem to have different qualities they laud and applaud. In times past it was honesty, integrity, grit, strength; nowadays, it seems the best thing you could ever be is independent. The ability to care for oneself irrespective of the input of others is considered tantamount to achieving nirvana. According to our modern culture, […]
Jesus told a great parable about the wise man who built his house on the rock versus the foolish man who built his house on the sand. Both men wanted a wonderful place to dwell, and both probably figured they were going about it the right way. One could even speculate that the houses themselves […]
One of the most visceral cries of the human spirit is to be heard and understood. Unfortunately, there are so many things that act as barriers between us and other people: miscommunication, misrepresentation, past hurts, the fear of rejection, the fear of being misunderstood, and on and on. We may not bring our honest selves […]
I once had a conversation with a fellow believer on the subject of “unsavory thoughts” and how insidious they are—how difficult it is to get ahead of them. After a lot of banter, I reminded my friend that no matter how overwhelming those thoughts seem, we can still lead them captive in obedience to Christ. […]
At the time of this blog’s publication, I am the super-blessed “mom” of three delightful cats – Po, Thai, and Toze (yes, it’s supposed to sound like “potatoes” when you string ’em all together 😀 ). I’ve had the oldest, Thai, for more than half my life, and the youngest, Toze, for going on five […]
Back in 2018, while diving into Lisa Bevere’s Girls with Swords as part of my devotional curriculum, I was first introduced to the conceptual difference between soldiers and warriors. Bevere makes many great contrasts between these two classes of fighters—too many to quote here!—but one I found particularly interesting is that while a soldier fights […]
Are you aware that Jesus died for YOU? For a long time, that reality didn’t sink in for me, either. I remember sitting in a sharing at a teen camp once where the teacher delved into the medical side of the horrific physical agony Jesus endured before and during his time on the cross. If […]
While counseling a friend (we’ll call her Kaylee) through a struggle over deep discontentment with the lack of feedback on a project she’d put years of effort into, I felt the urge to ask a very specific question. “Kaylee, what would truly make you happy in this scenario?” I asked. “What do you want out […]
I am an extrovert, and proud of it! One of my favorite things to do is sit down with a person and get down to the details of life. I want to know their hopes, dreams, fears, and fancies, their favorite movies and songs, the smell of the candle they always burn on their kitchen […]
Growing up in Indiana all my life, there have been countless times where some outing or activity has required me to travel on “The Loop” – the local name for I-465, a massive 3-to-6-lane highway that encompasses the downtown Indianapolis area. By some madness (or because of on-ramps I suppose), the speed limit on this […]