St. Francis of Assisi penned his now famous prayer over 800 years ago. It is a serious request to ask to be made an instrument of peace. Francis was born into a wealthy family but left it all to follow God and serve the poor. Francis didn’t simply pray for peace, but to be a […]
For many years anger has been the most socially acceptable emotion. In fact, a recent study has found that 94.3% of all social media posts are motivated by anger, the other 5.7% are puppies or someone’s latest meal. Ok, that’s not true. I made it up, but it feels true doesn’t it? Everybody seems angry […]
“When we sin and mess up our lives, we find that God doesn’t go off and leave us- he enters into our trouble and saves us.” -Eugene Peterson In an age where more and more Christians are choosing to define themselves by what they stand against, Eugene Peterson was a voice of sanity […]
No one was sure where exactly Hurricane Florence was going to do her damage, but all seemed sure it would be brutal. They were right. We prepared for the storm where we lived, but were only touched by the outer edges of the storm. Some trees down, scattered areas of lost power, some flooding. As […]
My son Carter turns 2 today and it’s caused me to look back over the past two years and reflect on how things have changed in me and in my family. Here is what I’ve learned: Colic is real. Carter wasn’t big on sleep for the first six months of his life and did […]
I’ve hesitated to write this post. I have wrestled for many days over these words because I do not want to join the masses who show up to throw rocks at anyone and everyone who stumbles. That being said, I believe that the years of the Conservative (Fundamentalist) takeover in the Southern Baptist Convention have […]
Everyone’s life is shaped by limitations. We all have them. The limitations that people most often blame for their struggles are in the areas of money and talent. “If only I had more money” or “I am just not as fast, smart, or artistic as they are”. These limitations are, however, areas that can be […]
“One of our greatest needs today is for people to really see and really believe the things they already profess to see and believe.” This brief quote sets the tone for Life Without Lack: Living in the Fullness of Psalm 23, a posthumous release of material from Dallas Willard. The book was gathered from a […]
Love is a collection of traits that are developed over time and then exerted for the good of someone else. That’s why love isn’t easy. It takes time, and those who don’t invest time in growing as a person will often struggle to love others well over time. One of the traits that allows us […]
Mountain climbers have always fascinated me. The strength and skill required to do what they do is unbelievable. I read recently about climbers attempting to scale Everest a couple of years ago. There had been an avalanche, so the mountain had been closed to climbers for several weeks. When the mountain reopened there was a […]