September 6 My family was supposed to be in Nashville last week, taking part in the Getty Sing! conference. We were supposed to be in the pews of the Ryman Auditorium, drinking in Andrew Peterson’s Behold the Lamb of God concert and worshiping Jesus with people of different tongues and nations. Instead, we watched it … Continue reading I Wanted to be There
August 23 We were made for another world and until Jesus returns, we can’t help but ache for it. C.S. Lewis called that longing sehnsucht (and I write a lot about it). But there’s another part of us that longs for this world, and it’s why James had to write: What causes quarrels and what … Continue reading The Opposite of Sehnsucht
August 16 The start of a schoolyear has always been my favorite time to readjust old writing habits and invest in something that will sharpen me. I've taken classes, joined communities, read books, and attended seminars. But there are two writing resources I come back to again and again. These classes and communities have sharpened … Continue reading My Very Favorite Writing Resources
Have you ever tried to fit some of the ocean into your hand? How about all of it? Can you measure the sky in miles? Can you weigh the Rocky Mountains? Could you even put the Ozark hills on a scale? Do you tell God’s Spirit where to go or what to do? Does God … Continue reading I’m Glad I Can’t Hold the Ocean
August 2 Before he was betrayed and driven to the cross, Jesus spent time praying for you. “I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.” “Holy Father, keep them in your name…” “While I was with them, I kept … Continue reading Be Encouraged: You Are Kept
July 19 Jesus stands as our example of holy anger that loves, restores, and worships. Cain's anger hated and killed. The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at … Continue reading Let Jesus In and Be Like Him
July 12 “God intends for the whole world to be able to praise him. He intends for Zion to set an example of faithfulness for the rest of the world. Zion cannot do this when evil persons corrupt others.”[i] Bleating sheep and bellowing salesmen swarmed the temple. But really? God's house was empty. In the … Continue reading Jesus’ Anger Gathers and Glorifies
July 5 Angry, Cain slaughtered his brother (Gen. 4:8). Furious, Herod killed every Bethlehemite boy (Matt. 2:16). Filled with resentment, Hitler obliterated six million Jews.[i] When hatred fuels anger, it sheds blood and sets fire. It’s a Boeing aircraft in the side of a burning, crumbling World Trade Center. It destroys. And it doesn’t have … Continue reading Jesus’ Anger Restores
June 28 Note: This is the second post in a mini-series on Jesus’s righteous anger, and how we can respond to evil like him. Holding my brother’s hand was the very last thing I wanted to do when I was angry at him. But as eight- and ten-year-olds, that was our punishment for fighting. My anger … Continue reading Jesus’ Anger Makes Room
June 21 I passed your home early at dawn, And saw the front room light was on. By that light in a chair you nested, A favored Bible on your lap rested. Hands folded, worship sincere. Jesus invited, Jesus is there. And I thought What a blessing for a Dad to seek … Continue reading The Light at Dawn
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