The devil is not that original. (Crafty, yes. Creative, no.) While he may change the packaging, most of the temptations he lobs at us are similar in nature. So if we can learn to recognize his routine lies, it will be easier for us to reject them and resist temptation. One such routine lie is […]
My Eyes Have Seen
“My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.” (Job 42:5) Suffering gives us intimate knowledge of God. Have you experienced this? When everything is going well in our lives, we know about God. We’ve heard that He’s faithful. But that’s just hearsay. Suffering turns that hearsay into personal, experiential knowledge of […]
Seasons
The air is getting crisp and leaves are beginning to change their colors. We just passed the 1st day of fall on the calendar. It’s the beginning of a new season. But have you ever noticed that stores start stocking new seasonal items far in advance? They begin advertising back-to-school and pumpkin spice while summer […]
Tourist
When I was little, I joined a local children’s choir. We learned a great variety of music—and on occasion, we sang patriotic songs together. One of my favorites was “God Bless America” by the great Irving Berlin. Around this same time, my family took a trip to England. But I was little and didn’t fully […]
Bragging Rights
What do you brag about? We don’t like to think of ourselves as “braggarts,” do we? But we all have details in our lives that we’re particularly proud of—and these are the topics we like to weave oh-so-subtly into our conversations. So what are the details you’re most proud of? Is it a skill you’ve […]
Focused
2020 has been the year of videoconferences. And one of the worst parts of those meetings is that we can see ourselves the entire time. Never before could we so easily see what we looked like every time we laughed, made conversation or even just listened. It feels like we’re living in front of a […]