The metaphor of a “rat race” is often used to describe a lifestyle of incessant work and busyness to try and achieve something that is inherently unachievable. It's pressure-filled, busy, anxious, and ill-fitting. No one who is living a rat race would say they are living their best life. But why is there a rat race at all? What empowers it? Why do we participate in it?
Read MoreHow are we to "bloom where we're planted" as resident aliens in this spiritual city of Babylon? What does a flourishing life look like in the midst of Empire? Hebrews 13 answers that question with some very practical advice.
Read MoreYou are called to bloom and flourish - even in Babylon. But that does not happen by becoming like Babylon, for that world is passing away. What is required is something much more countercultural.
Read MoreWhen I was a kid, delight came easily. As I got older, delight seemed to fade as I became more "adult-like" and less childlike. Being grown up and having a family took responsibility. Working a job and paying bills took responsibility. And of course, responsibility means seriousness. Or does it?
Read MoreAs fun as it is to (kind of) look like someone famous, followers of Jesus are actually supposed to "look like" someone famous - Jesus himself. Not in physical appearance (an olive-skinned Middle Eastern man with a beard), but in character appearance. Like Jesus, we are to be good, kind, compassionate, and loving.
Read MoreThe voices of carnival hawkers are loud and attention-grabbing. The voice of God, that little candle flame of faith in our soul, is quiet, and we have a hard time hearing it when we live in a carnival. So when we leave the carnival to a quiet place, we begin to hear the Father's voice calling to us, and we realize we are very, very thirsty.
Read MoreHave you won any bragging rights in your family or group of friends? Maybe you're the milk-chugging champ, or the asparagus-eating champ, or maybe you have visited the most countries or have the craziest stories or know the most music and movie trivia. What is your claim to fame? It’s likely not the same as the New Testament apostles.
Read MoreEvery season of faith is important, and every season has its beauty. The question for us today is not what season of faith is better than others, but how can we embrace each season as it comes to us. Certain practices in certain seasons help us do that.
Read MoreWe are all different, and there is such a plethora of spiritual practices that we can all find something to which we would look forward every day. But that doesn't mean we should stay with what's comfortable all the time.
Read MoreYou live in the middle of Empire, but if you are a follower of Jesus you are no longer a citizen of the Empire. Rather, you are a resident alien. As such, you are called to fight against being shaped by the values of the Empire, and instead live by the values and practices of God's Kingdom.
A Rule of Life will help you do that.
Read MoreHave you ever felt frustrated because you don’t understand why things are happening in life? What do you think the solution is? Perhaps you feel getting that understanding would allay your frustration. You’d be wrong.
Read MoreAccording to Nietzsche, we have arrived at a place where we no longer need what the idea of God gives us. However, as demonstrated by the last 100 years, we're terrible at filling the void left by a "dead God."
Read MoreThe common thread between the eclosion of the butterfly and Israel inheriting the land is that time and struggle are part of the plan. In fact, they are how God fulfills his purpose for them both.
Read MoreMost people who think they multitask actually do something called "task swapping" or "task juggling," meaning they quickly switch back and forth between tasks and call it multitasking. This is terrible for our spiritual health.
Read MoreHow are you with instruction manuals? Do you love them? Hate them? In the book of Proverbs, the author frequently visits the theme of God's guidance along the path to flourishing, and chapter three offers six sets of instructions to live by if we want a flourishing life.
Read MoreWe live in an age where everything good is interpreted in terms of happiness and success. To be blessed means to be happy and successful. In fact, if a follower of Jesus does not appear happy or successful, we wonder what is wrong with them.
Read MoreThere are two streams of Christian tradition that make peace (i.e. shalom, wholeness, wellness) a central part of their ethos. One is the contemplative tradition, which leans toward the desire for inner peace. The other is the activist tradition, which leans toward the desire for outer peace in the world.
Read MoreWhat makes faith "faith?" For example, how would I know if I have "faith in Jesus?" If I know about him, is that faith? If I believe he is the Son of God, is that faith? The answer to both those questions is, perhaps surprisingly, no.
Read MoreRather than judging me for feeling dark, God offers me grace to understand my pain (for there cannot be darkness in my life without pain), grace to forgive, and grace to bring healing to my life (even if my darkness is self-inflicted).
Read MoreHow many of us are living our Plan B life? Perhaps your life has not unfolded the way you originally expected or wanted. Perhaps you look around and see the ashes of mistakes, regrets, and disappointments. Perhaps those ugly remains shake your confidence and trust in yourself or in God.
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