Journeying to the heart of what is true
It was six days until Passover. Jesus felt the weight of all that meant upon his shoulders. But not tonight. Tonight was his final respite, and he was grateful for it. And there was cause for celebration: Lazarus had been dead, but now he was alive again. His friends saw this as a miraculous, if [...]
Sometimes a memory of a person comes back as a single part that is emblematic of the whole. A mother's hands. A sister's hair. A father's strong arms. For Mary, it was Jesus' feet. Whenever they gathered, the men crowded around, shoulder to shoulder, to exchange ideas, listen, debate. It was at such a time [...]
Lazarus was among those reclining at table with him.John 12:2 Here. Now. With Jesus. This was the first time Lazarus had felt fully alive since dying. Had it really been just weeks? He couldn't remember the pain or sickness that had led up to it. Only the peace that followed--a peace that surpassed all understanding. [...]
Martha served.John 12:2 She glanced at her brother sleeping on the couch as she adjusted the goblets just-so and picked a few wilted leaves from the flowers in the centerpiece. The warm air hung thick and fragrant with the aroma of the spiced lamb roasting on the pit. Martha allowed herself a rare moment to [...]
How can people establish safeguards to stop sin? A marriage and family therapist shares her wisdom in counseling people to find the places where bad situations could have been turned around and consequences avoided.
I worry sometimes that I might be losing my religion--every time I read of another church scandal: theologies untethered to Biblical truth, financial or personal corruption by leaders, and in many cases downright lawlessness. Yet these same halls echo with voices proclaiming the knowledge and love of God, encouraging we the people to turn away [...]
If there is one word that has been used to describe me most often it's been busy. And this year, I'm determined to change that. For awhile busy meant full and even fulfilled as we did the work of raising four children who were all two years apart while working part-time, writing, working out...and, oh [...]
God's been stitching a number of teachings together for me recently into this one: Love the person I put right in front of you. It's is the answer to God's purpose and plan for my life. It's the question Jesus will ask in my life review when my days are over. It's the example of [...]
I don't believe I have read a more compelling, faith-inspiring contemporary book than Imagine Heaven by John Burke. Heaven is not something I've spent much time thinking about during my faith walk; truth be told, I've often discounted it because it seemed like cheap grace to live this life on the promise of a future, [...]
Happy New Year! Do you have a word for the year? It's my favorite and most enduring approach to a new year's resolution (and it's only a four-year-old tradition). Year one, 2016, my word was brokenhearted. As I immersed myself in researching and writing Denial, God led me to write a book to help heal those [...]
