Pursuing a holistic expression of Christian faith that is true to the Bible and applicable for today’s world.
At a church I recently visited, members shared prayer requests as part of the service. One lady raised her hand and simply said she had an “unspoken request.” Though I’ve not heard that phrase in a long time, it was a common utterance at a church I once attended. It was almost always said by […]
The Connections Between Faith and Writing Last weekend I attended the Festival of Faith and Writing conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although the words “faith” and “writing” both appear in the conference name, I expected the benefits of attending to be primarily writing related. While my expectations to learn more about the art and craft […]
A good friend was all excited. He had something he couldn’t wait to share. “God revealed something to me,” he announced. “I’ve not yet found it in the Bible, but I know it’s there somewhere.” I completely missed what God had revealed to him because I was so taken aback contemplating his statement. I have […]
Have you ever had someone ask you to “pray hard?” I have. Often it’s for a pressing personal issue or a distressing situation—and they implore me to “pray hard.” When they say this, I think I know what they mean—or at least I hope I do. I think “pray hard” means, “This is serious, so […]
From time to time, I’ve heard people say they’re “in the desert.” They are speaking figuratively, of course, but nevertheless it is a dry place, a barren wilderness, an unhappy situation to be sure. Their desert experience is not a literal place of residence, but a spiritual condition, a state of being. For them, the […]
A friend of mine once startled me by saying, “Sometimes I think the spiritual realm is more real than the physical realm.” That gave me a start, but I understand what he meant—and yearn to understand it more fully. It’s been said that “we are a spirit, we have a soul, and we live in […]
Avoiding Christianese I once shared a story with a new friend and fellow followers of Jesus about a young boy praying for his teacher. My friend was perplexed and silent for a moment. Finally, she stammered out an explanation, ”I’ve never prayed for people before.” I didn’t know how to take this. Did she mean […]
Last week I attended a convention and gave a couple of presentations. Traveling is not an adventure I enjoy; instead, it is a duty I endure. Knowing this—and that self-focus is not God-honoring or kingdom advancing—I asked God for opportunities to interact with and help others during my trip. This did indeed happen, especially after […]
Those who follow Jesus used to be called “disciples” but that term has fallen out of favor. Now the common label is “believer.” It is easy to believe; it takes a lot more to be a disciple. To believe is essentially a one-time act, a singular decision made at one point along life’s path. To […]
Palm Sunday An area church has invited other nearby churches to participate in a joint Palm Sunday service for the “Blessing of the Palms.” That phrase in an unfamiliar one to me, but with millions of exact matches in an online search, it’s likely known to many within the Christian community. If you are perplexed […]