I went to bed kind of mad at myself for how I reacted to something. It seemed silly in hindsight. There was no reason to respond that way, except one thing… the flesh. Paul expressed it best when he said, “What I don’t want to do, I do; and what I want to do, I don’t… oh wretched man that ...
I recently saw someone at church I hadn’t seen in a long time. As soon as we had a chance to greet one another, I made a bee line to him to say hi and give him a hug. He was obviously uncomfortable and a little shy of looking anyone in the eyes, but he hugged me back as others ...
So let’s talk about condemnation. Number one, it’s a mean trick of the devil. Number two, it’s a self-pronounced sentence of guilt (meaning, it’s fed to you by the devil). And hopefully the obvious number three is (just to be clear), God’s not the author of it. CONVICTION IS HOW GOD CORRECTS US.CONDEMNATION IS HOW THE DEVIL DEFEATS US. To ...
Beautiful GodLaying Your majesty asideYou reached out in love to show me lifeLifted from darkness into lightKing for a slaveTrading Your righteousness for shame These are the opening words of the song, Like An Avalanche by Hillsong United. I am especially touched by the last phrase: Trading Your righteousness for shame. I remember when God first began opening my understanding ...
When I was pregnant with our second son, the doctors scheduled me for a special procedure before delivery because he was breach. I’m not sure how I misunderstood my doctor, but I could’ve sworn she told me they were going to massage my stomach and coax the baby to turn around, but no… Instead, a specialist sat down on the ...
In his letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul made an interesting statement: “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself” (1 Corinthians 4:3). How many of us make it “a very BIG thing” to be judged? Whether by ...
Are you familiar with the Bible story of the woman caught in adultery? You and I may or may not have ever been in shoes like hers, but nonetheless, in our own mind, our sin is just as hard to bear. So despite her obvious guilt (and ours), let’s look at this story not just as a picture of initial ...
One of the sweetest things I’ve ever learned about the Lord is that He heard every silent whisper of my heart, long before I had the courage to say anything out loud. Specifically, He heard my sorries. I so desperately wanted to please Him, and I had always been a person that wanted the approval of others, so every time I ...
Unless you’ve avoided the Olympic games and television and news feeds in general, you’re probably aware of the embellished robbery story with Ryan Lochte and three other American swimmers. As I watched his interview with Matt Lauer on the Today Show, I was moved with compassion. It’s OK Ryan. I mean, it’s not really okay and he knows that. But ...
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 When I look at certain faces in a crowd, I want to ask them, “Who told you you were naked?” This is the same question God asked Adam and Eve when they hid from Him in the garden after committing the first sin (Genesis 3:11). Shame made them withdraw from God–but shame is ...
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 I think it’s good to put ourselves in remembrance of why we do what we do. And at the end of the day, I don’t want my reasons to be a paycheck or applause. There has to be a greater cause to our mission that fuels us to keep on keepin’ on (if you know ...