Good morning... The man who had everything craved even more. "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" demanded the rich, young ruler. Jesus replied in the man's achievement-oriented language, rattling off the famous checklist. "You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor [...]
Good morning... A funky movie clip plays with my brain as I consider walking away from 2016. I feel like Navin (Steve Martin) walking away from Marie (Bernadette Peters) in the 1979 movie "The Jerk." "Well I'm gonna to go then! And I don't need any of this," says Navin. "I don't need this stuff, and I don't need [...]
Good morning... Clinging to our heart's desire can keep us from God's abundant life. When Paula D'Arcy lost her husband and her young daughter to the carelessness of a drunk driver, she was three months pregnant. In deep despair she was forced to give birth six months later. The one thing her heart desired most was a natural childbirth, [...]
Good morning... God reminds me once again. The word 'cling' in Old English is 'clingan' and 'clingan' means to shrink. Those smaller gods to which we cling shrink very important parts of us. Very important parts of us atrophy when we cling to anything but God. “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from...the place of your [...]
Good morning... My son sends me his favorite sermons sometimes. This week he sent me the link to Matt Chandler's 5.27.07 sermon from The Village Church near Dallas, Texas. I found Chandler's wisdom to be very eye-opening, quite appropriate to consider as we end one year and begin another. Chandler challenges us: "Idolatry in your heart and in my [...]
Good morning... Over Thanksgiving weekend, I took a private walk to the nearby horse farm with our puppy of eight months. As Tate and I circled around the familiar path, I came upon a woman sitting on a rock overlooking the river. As I said, "Hello," she looked up and I saw the tearful eyes of a friend I [...]
Good morning... God's wisdom echoes. “Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys [...]
Good morning... Donning my name and address, a padded, manila envelop arrived at my doorstep. Doesn't everyone love an unexpected gift? I took time to carefully open the seal, and my heart smiled big as I pulled from the protective package my personal copy of The Hidden Life Awakened, a freshly reprinted, expanded version of one of my all [...]
Good morning... It seems to me, we have a choice to make. We can mindlessly let time take us or we can prayerfully learn the art of taking time. In Ephesians 5:11-16 (MSG), I discover a clarifying call to action. Don’t waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness (unconsciously numbing, going through the [...]
Good morning... “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest,” says Jesus as we pick up the story in Mark 6:30-44 (NIV). Ahhh. Sweet rest. After all of the chaotic comings and goings, Jesus invites his close friends to rest and rejuvenate. So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary [...]
