FINDING JOY     Everyone wants to be happy.  Everyone wants to have lives filled with joy.  How do we find joy?      First, live connected.  So many people are very lonely.  Our design as humans is to find connection.  First and foremost, with our Creator and second with others.  In the story of human origins in the book of Genesis it describes a time when God walked with man as a friend.  Each of...  Read More

      What is God’s dream or vision for your life? Most people settle for a job rather than embrace a calling.  In the Scriptures, we read about Nehemiah who held an important position as cup bearer to the King of Persia.  He had a significant job, but as he listened to a report from Jerusalem describing the broken-down walls of the city, he began to discover his calling, his special assignment fr...  Read More

     Grief, deep sorrow, is part of life when you experience a loss.  Maybe you lost a long-time job, a child to the living death of drug addiction, or the physical death of a spouse.  Regardless of the loss, embracing and walking through our sorrow is crucial to wholeness.  In the Bible we are told not to grieve as those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).  What does it look like to grieve w...  Read More

     Love.  A powerful, impactful word.  Seeking love, sharing love drives much of our behavior in life.  Too many of us settle for some form of shallow love.  However, Jesus calls us to offer the world a bold and radical love.  He even tells us to love our enemies.  What does this even mean, to love my enemies? To love those who have harmed me? Let’s all acknowledge most of us would admit that we...  Read More

       Praying for your child to be healed and they die.  Sitting in front of a judge and hearing that you are now officially divorced.  Watching another scandal erupt in government, business, or even the church.  Deep disappointment is woven through life.  It is upsetting, even crushing.  How do we deal with it?      First, challenge and clarify our expectations.  Author Richard Rohr warns us, “E...  Read More

      Today, millions will celebrate Easter, focusing on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  However, we live in a skeptical age; is this just a myth or historical fact?  I grew up in a Christian home and remember as a college student worrying that I was a Christian simply because of my background.  I took several months and looked critically at my faith, and other faith leaders and systems.  I rea...  Read More

GOOD FRIDAY     Today is called “Good Friday.”  It is an annual reminder to Christians around the world to honor the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  Honestly, it is surprising that the excruciating execution of the only perfect person in all of human history is called good.  But the cross of Christ is good in multiple ways.       The painful cross of Jesus shows us the truth about our sinfulness.  W...  Read More

    “ I don’t love you anymore; I want a divorce.”   “I’m sorry but we have to let you go.”   “Mom, do not call me again.” A bitter spouse, an exasperated boss, or an ungrateful, grown child; these are just a few of the faces of rejection you may have experienced.  Rejection, it’s an ugly word and a painful emotional scar that all of us encounter from time to time.  How do we deal with it? Jesus C...  Read More

      Let me be clear: I like my life, but as a Christian I know there is better; I long for what God has promised.   God’s promise of a new heaven and new earth is multi-faceted (Revelation 21:1).      First, there is the fully realized relationship with God Himself. I think of this life and our relationship with God being like an unborn child’s experience with her mom.  There is a relationship; ...  Read More

BUILDING FRIENDSHIPS      Three in five American adults state they consider themselves to be lonely (The Lonely Century, Noreena Hertz, 6).  Sixty percent of U.S. nursing home residents say they never have any visitors (The Lonely Century, Noreena Hertz, 7).  We long for attachment wherever we can find it.  There are already cases of children learning “Alexa” before “Mama” (The Lonely Century, Nor...  Read More

      What are you afraid of? Do you ever play a negative “what if” game in your head?  What if I lose my job?  What if my spouse leaves?  What if I do not have enough money in my IRA?  Many struggle with fear from time to time, but for some fear is a constant companion.  Honestly, it feels like our culture is marinating in fear.  Psychologist Robert Leahy said, “The average child today exhibits t...  Read More

      Sin divides.  The sin of racism divides people of different ethnicities.  The sin of selfishness divides spouses, sometimes even leading to divorce.  The sin of resentment can separate a grown child from his parents. The sin of pride can separate someone from every relationship in his life. Often we can overcome these divisions by building a relational bridge.  Christians are called to be Ch...  Read More