Gridlock materializes in conflict when two parties cannot find common ground. People stubbornly stand in their spot or even move farther apart. Often, seemingly unassuming issues become enormous challenges because people cannot make progress towards each other in a disagreement. As I look back at the conflicts in my life, I notice a reoccurring theme. […]
When Conflicts Turn Read More »
Hope has become commercialized. Politicians peddle it during the election cycles. The endless amount of advertisers sells us on it. Sport’s franchises have asked fans to buy into the rebuilding process. Commercialized hope can lead us to cynicism and disappointment, making promises for today without any accountability for tomorrow. Genuine hope moves us from passivity
Certain relationships change us. These friends, family members, significant others, and coworkers cause us to have perspective. In a merciful way, they tell us the truth that few will while still encouraging us. By observing how they relate to us, we become better at relating to others. They help us smooth out our rough edges.
Growing up, I had the challenge of memorizing from the King James Version (KJV). The Old English full of “thees” and “thous” would stump my recitation. Imagine a grade school student struggling through Shakespeare like verbiage. One word made a little more sense to me as a kid in the KJV rather than the modern
Holy Saturday rests in the in between. Good Friday reflects on Your sacrifice. Easter celebrates Your resurrection. We find ourselves on this day looking backwards and looking forward. Yet, there’s a grace about this day. Many of us will spend this day planning and preparing. The small plastic eggs will get filled and hidden around
A Prayer for Holy Saturday Read More »
We have done everything we can do. Those words rarely bring comfort. A gap exists between our action and a response. It happens after making the phone call or sending the text holding our breath for confirmation. It happens when we keep looking for the messenger of a decision or diagnosis. After you have done
The Wait of Good Friday Read More »
There’s no easy answer to the question of pain. Logically, we try to rationalize coming out better on the other side. Our feelings can make us only focus on the present and how much the current season hurts. Each of us walks with a degree of pain looking for hope. Grief can hit us in
Jesus’ Prayer in Pain Read More »
Nothing builds a relationship like a disagreement. You may think this has a twinge of sarcasm, but consider it for a second. At one point or another, the people we love the most will rubs us the wrong way. Conversely, the people who love us the most will get rubbed the wrong way. Living without
My wife and I started teaching a four-week class on busyness yesterday. Delving deeper into this topic becomes more of a mirror to seeing ourselves than a window in seeing others. Both of us have started the conversation of what busyness reveals about our hearts. One of the most telling insights we have encountered comes
Is God Pro-Exhaustion? Read More »
Patterns matter in our lives. People can notice them in our lives, but often we can miss their subtlety in our lives. A few months ago, I had to come face to face with a pattern of my life. Trusted friends brought to my attention the need to be right. Rightness would trump understanding and
