These five reads from this past week challenged, encouraged, and provided perspective for me. Check them out for yourself. The State of Reading Books in a Digital World by David Kinnaman and Roxanne Stone Phenomenal study about the reading habits of each generation and including research in regards to the preferred formats to reading. The […]
Reads of the Week | 10/24/2015 Read More »
Why do we bless? We say a blessing over our food. In a few short weeks, each of us will gather to share our blessings in gratitude. Abraham received a blessing from God. Jacob fought God to get his. Often, a pastor will pray a benediction over a congregation as a blessing. Humans desire blessings.
Two friends will ask me this question periodically, “What was the last fiction book you read?” Most of my reading list includes books on theology, leadership, and biographies. Those topics have direct application to life. The question my friends ask challenges my assumptions on fiction. In our book lists, we tend to rush to consume
What lies do you believe about yourself? I’ll never forget the first time I faced my lies. A mentor sat across from me in a coffee shop. We began to discuss some reoccurring issues in my life. A couple lies came to the surface; You’re not valuable unless you produce; You still need to earn
Intentionality matters. As humans, we need the reminders, calendars, routines, and to do lists. These tools invite us to prioritize. They help us focus the attention of our lives. Having healthy intentionality frees us up rather than stifling us. One of the most helpful pieces of wisdom in my life comes from Dallas Willard, “Grace
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What failure do you keep replaying in your mind? The moment you wish you never experienced. The words that got away from you. The decision you would want to have back. When you consider this episode of failing, the gnawing feeling takes over to stall you or pushes you towards perfection. You may have seen
These five reads from this past week challenged, encouraged, and provided perspective for me. Check them out for yourself. How Stephen Colbert is Bringing Religion to Late Night by Megan Garber We might be in the golden age of Late Night television with Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert. Megan Garber shares the fascinating interplay of
Reads of the Week | 10/17/2015 Read More »
I found myself in the midst of a season confronting the darkness. Insecurity had caused me to doubt, the love of my friends and the love of Christ. The life long struggle of feeling different and not fitting in had created barriers. Rather than recognizing Christ’s grace, I constantly rehashed my failures, weaknesses, and reasons
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My wife Robyn and I will celebrate two years of marriage on October 20th. She exudes a great deal of patience, graciousness, and wisdom. I’ll never forget a piece of advice she gave to me. In the midst of a conversation, she said to me, “I think you might want to consider removing ‘should’ from
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We can miss the rawness of the scriptures. The Old Testament book of Jeremiah gets mentions for at least two verses; one of which 29:11 details God’s plans for us. This book tells the heartbreaking story of a misunderstood prophet, Jeremiah. The seemingly positive verses come out of the painful existence of a man, who
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