I believe that God still arranges encounters with us. I believe this from my own experience, but more importantly for historical reasons. The Bible is filled with examples of God encountering men and women in unusual places and revealing Himself in powerful ways. God spoke to people in history in unmistakable ways. He speaks to us in the present day through the Scriptures and His Holy Spirit. He answers prayers and meets needs. He still speaks.... continue reading
Theologian and author Rebecca McLaughlin says, “An alone person in our gatherings is an emergency.” She and her husband have made a rule for themselves that anytime they see someone alone at their worship services, they must stop what they’re doing and go chat with or sit next to that person. ... continue reading
As Christians, it can be tempting to self-isolate in our mental-health struggles. We sometimes feel that we should have it all together so we can better serve our church family. But while it is important to cling to our joy in the Lord, it’s equally important to recognize and seek help in our struggles as we do so. ... continue reading
Most of the times I have read Habakkuk, I have moved quickly past verse 5 to the rest of the book. But verse 5 actually contains wisdom for us about how to live through moments of God’s silence. It is, after all, the exhortation that God himself gives to a man who has been living with that experience for some time.... continue reading
One morning during corporate worship, I leaned toward one of the little girls in our church, Summer, who was trying to read the lyrics and sing along, and asked her, “Do you like church?” She replied, “Not really, but I like the singing.” I appreciated her honesty! ... continue reading
Perhaps your church is made up of a few dozen, a few hundred, or a few thousand people, meeting in a school hall or an ancient building or a bespoke auditorium or under a tree. It doesn’t matter how numerous the people or how impressive the building—your church is God’s household, dwelled in by his Spirit, built upon his Son.... continue reading
One day, while passing the food processors in Bed Bath & Beyond, I came across a large piece of wall art that said, “Dream until your dreams come true.” I stopped mid-aisle and stared at those words. We encounter some version of this message everywhere we go: “Never give up on your dreams!” Indeed, one of the loudest messages in the Western world is for us to dream big and do all we can to pursue our dreams.... continue reading
If your family is like my family, each member has responsibilities around the Christmas season. As my wife is the raging extrovert with abundant gifts of hospitality and service, she is mainly in charge of all of our holiday get-togethers. Our schedule gets filled with fellowships and dinner parties.... continue reading
I understand the deep disappointments and disillusionments that come when the very people we should be able to turn to are not the people we thought they were. When this happens, it spurs in us untold questions. Who can we turn to? Where can we go with our hurts and our questions? ... continue reading
Ancient Israel had a lot of great moments—crossing the Red Sea, entering the promised land, the reign of King David, and many more. But the Israelites could also be a disaster. ... continue reading
