Seasons of depression, anxiety, and sadness are nothing new — some of the most famous biblical heroes did not escape them. David wrote many of the Psalms out of a spirit of anxiety and fear. Paul wrote that he was “so utterly burdened beyond (his) strength that (he) despaired of life itself (2 Corinthians 1:8).” […]

Yesterday my niece posted a picture of her three spirited children —all under the age of 5 —with this caption: “Tomorrow’s Friday…which means nothing when you have kids.” I refrained from commenting, “Don’t blink,” because I remember those long days of littles. I remember keeping them entertained and active but feeling exhausted long before they […]

Business icon Anna Wintour is known for saying “Everyone should get sacked at least once.” It’s an interesting statement. Here’s another way to frame it: At some point in our lives, each of us needs to be told “No” in a definitive way so we can learn from that experience. Years ago I was told […]

“Mine!” is a common battle cry around our house. When we hear it echoing through our home, we know the fragile peace that has existed between our children has been shattered…again. When my wife and I run to the front lines, we will usually find two of our children wrestling over a five-dollar piece of […]

Dallas Willard was a respected Christian voice in spiritual formation and a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California before he passed away in 2013. He once wrote that “Bible memorization is absolutely fundamental to spiritual formation. If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose […]

Prayer is the key to unlocking power in our lives with Christ. Here are five ways to help you create a rhythm of prayer in your life. Pray the Psalms. The Psalms are songs, prayers and petitions that God accepts even when we don’t understand Him or things aren’t going our way — we know, because […]

The Apostle Peter denies Jesus. Christ forgives him and restores him as a foundational leader of the Church.  Mary Magdalene is freed from seven demons and weeps that her Savior has been murdered. Jesus chooses her as the first to witness and believe His resurrection. The Apostle Thomas doubts Christ is alive again. Jesus shows […]

I have missed some exciting moments in my life.  I have missed opportunities to have some fun adventures, meet interesting people, and even see John Stamos (Uncle Jesse himself!) — all because I wasn’t in the right place at the right time. But all of my missed connections pale in comparison to what the disciple Thomas […]

According to Jesus, loving our neighbors as ourselves is a cornerstone of the Christian faith. But in recent years, studies from the Pew Research Center suggest that more than half of Americans don’t know even one of the people who live near them. Here are ten suggestions for getting to know your neighbors better in order to […]

As we have been reading in John the past two weeks of Jesus’s crucifixion, I am struck once again by God’s upside down math — the death of One that brings life to many. As I mulled over it yesterday, I got to remembering. One a cool, drizzly morning a while back I felt a bit suffocated […]