What’s Your Story?
"Come and listen, all who fear God,and I will tell what He has done for me" (Psalm 66:16). I think the greatest weapon believers have against the enemy of doubt is their personal testimony. What I [...]
We are the Be Loved
To be loved is at the core of every person's identity, whether they acknowledge it or not. It's how God created us-- to love and be loved; to be a reflection of Him. So I want [...]
Not-So Quiet Time
Not all noise is audible. But even inaudible noise can be loud and distracting -- especially when the goal is to quiet the soul. My morning routine is up early, about 5am, fix my cup of [...]
Love Covers
As I was contemplating whether I should share something with someone or not, the Holy Spirit whispered to my heart: My grace in you helps you give grace to others. I immediately thought of 1 Peter [...]
Loving the Friend in our Mirror
As Christians, we know God has called us to reflect Him to the world and to each other in love, kindness, strength, peace, and so forth. We could say, it's expected. Not that it's always easy, [...]
The Hidden Power Within
We become what we believe about ourselves-- not what others say, or even what God says, but what we say and believe about the person reflected in our mirror. Do you know the verse that explains [...]
Nevertheless: A Simple Reminder
I think a lot about the tug-of-war between our spirit and our soul. The Bible helps us understand that humans are made up of 3 major parts: body, soul, and spirit. Much like an egg that [...]
Holy Moments: From Solitude to the Stage
For all the mere moments we have before an audience, it is all the time alone with God that can add any substance to our message. Your audience might be your child, your spouse, a coworker, [...]
Agitating Passions & Moral Conflicts
Agitating passions. Moral conflicts. I don’t know why these two phrases jumped off the page to me, other than they perfectly described what I was looking for help with. Agitating. Like a washing machine. The dictionary [...]
Peace In Your Chaos
A lady in my church once told me, "Pastor Tod shouldn't get upset if he sees us fall asleep in church. Some of us live in such chaos that we just can't help but nod off in [...]
Living Victoriously
People pay big money to attend seminars on how to be successful. It's in the heart of every person to succeed (at something). It's our heart because God wired us that way. And although I could [...]
Do the Math
Here's a quick lesson in reconciling: Most of you have some type of bank account, and every month you receive a statement from the bank showing the pluses and minuses for the month. Now whether you [...]
No Longer An Outsider
People who struggle with insecurity know what it feels like to be an "outsider." Whether they really are or not, there's a real feeling of being left out or pushed to the back. It's a tool [...]
The Struggle is Real
I had to look up the definition for clarity. As I was praying for several people around me, I realized the common denominator was struggle-- they were all struggling in some form or fashion. The dictionary [...]
Let Love Replace Guilt
This article first appeared on The Christian Broadcasting Network | I’m always saddened to see some churches practice their religion under a heavy cloak of condemnation. I recently attended a funeral at one such church. It [...]
Carbon Copy
"In God's eyes, there are only two men, Adam and Christ. Every human being is a copy of one or the other. To be in Adam is to be lost and merely human, but to be [...]
The Self You’ve Been Wrestling With
When I wrote my first book about righteousness in 2003, my grandmother was 83 years old. Even at that age, I greatly admired her. She was hospitable, beautiful, and in every way reminded me of the [...]
A Repentant Heart
"The wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God..." --but a repentant heart does. Whether you thought it was staged or not, everyone who watched (or heard about) the Oscars on Sunday saw this [...]
