Do you ever think about being in the will of God? I can’t be the only one. I assume most would answer yes to that question. It’s something I think about pretty often actually. And when I do, Romans 12:2 comes to mind: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind ...
If you asked me today what my favorite movie is, I’d have to say “I Can Only Imagine” — the true story of Bart Millard and the Christian band, Mercy Me. If you’ve seen it, you know his grandmother would always say things like, “Mercy me… Lord, have mercy.” It’s a great movie. I highly recommend it. But I’m thinking ...
What is it about putting up a few twinkle lights and decorations that make us breathe a little slower and smile a little more? I remember growing up and driving to my grandma’s house. She had been a widow my entire life. She lived simply but her house was full of love (and good food). Going to grandma’s house was ...
How many times has the grace of God appeared, as if out of nowhere, to help us? I can think of so many times when I sat in sheer gratitude for the love and grace of God in my life. I recently took a couple of trips to Colorado and being from West Texas where everything is flat, my eyes ...
Are you a note-taker? Do you like to write in journals? I realize not everyone is, but I stumbled on something that made me pause and think, wow I think we’ve missed the real power of this. Let me explain. In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, his purpose was to encourage his young protege as he led one of the ...
Deeply or sincerely felt. As I read through a handful of prayer requests, I was reminded of a verse in the Book of James: “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]” (James 5:16, AMPC). Heartfelt. I don’t know the origin of this word but its very descriptive, isn’t it? Just ...
I live in a community where a minimum of at least three languages are spoken fluently, and regularly. So on any given day, you might hear a conversation and have no idea what is being said. I think people sometimes feel this way about Christianity. Like, they hear us but don’t understand. And I think this can be just as ...
This is a question I’ve asked myself before. When life has extra projects going on, it can be a game-changer. But if you’ll pause and pay attention, I guarantee you’ll sense the grace and peace of God all around you. Instead of being stressed, you can look forward to tackling your projects. But be careful… busy seasons can change some otherwise ...
This article first appeared on The Christian Broadcasting Network | Have you ever had the thought, “What’s the point?” “What am I doing here?” “Is what I’m doing even making a difference?” I have to imagine you said yes. Who hasn’t wrestled with those thoughts? We can look back in time and find such questions being asked over two thousand ...
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 the peace and presence of God.” I laughed when she said this, but then realized how true it really was. Our world has become ...
I hope the title caught your attention! It did mine. I was recently meditating on Philippians 3 where Paul talks about counting everything as loss “for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:8). And as I usually do, I read these passages in the Amplified, the Message, the New Living, and then opened the Passion Translation. I ...
With flashlight in hand, I carefully made my way down the uneven dirt path. As I walked, I prayed. I poured my heart out to God in the stillness of the night. It was cold, yet my heart was warmed by His abiding presence. “O God, you have placed a dream in my heart that I cannot run from…” As ...
This article first appeared on The Christian Broadcasting Network Funny story: my stepdad doesn’t like tomatoes but he planted 120 tomato plants this year. He’s not a farmer. He’s a retired plumber. He doesn’t grow anything else but tomatoes. Why? First because his wife loved them and ate at least 2 a day before she passed away. But secondly, because ...
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 defines struggle as “to contend with an adversary or an opposing force.” This is the first definition and was honestly what I expected. But ...
Do you have things in your life that were once exciting that now feel like a chore? Maybe it’s your job, or your studies, or (God forbid) your marriage. My point is, we should never be led by how we “feel.” I’ve wrestled with weariness myself, but I have to remember my flesh is simply being tested. Why else do ...
Reading this quote by Charles Spurgeon always impacts my heart because of how true it is– no matter how long you’ve walked with the Lord, it’s so easy to lean on the flesh from time to time ((as if the flesh saved us in the first place). Paul said it this way in his letter to the Galatians: “How foolish ...
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 wasn’t my first time so the shock and sadness of what I witnessed wasn’t as heavy as before; but I left there thinking how similar I ...
“And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:33). Great grace. Who doesn’t need more of that? One translation of this verse says “mega-grace.” Now that’s a lot of grace and help! But how does one access this kind of grace? First, let’s define what ...