This truth changes everything! Reader, This week, I taught at my church's women's Bible Study on 1 John, and we looked at 1 John 4:15. "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God." The end of that verse reveals an often-overlooked doctrine. Inside those eight words are massive, life-changing, Bible-expanding, worship-producing truths. "God abides in him, and he in God." It just might be the most important doctrine you've never heard of. I hope you'll take...
18 days agoΒ β’Β 1 min read
Are you spiritually nearsighted? Reader, If you've ever struggled to enjoy reading God's Word, or if it feels like a box you check before moving on with your day, you might be spiritually nearsighted. That's when you can see what's right in front of you, but everything in the distance is blurry. It means we move through the motions of devotion without the right heart posture. We "lose sight" of 'why' we go to God's Word in the first place. Holy leisure helps us refocus our attention on who...
27 days agoΒ β’Β 1 min read
The Pursuit of Holy Leisure is finally HERE! Reader, It's hard to believe, but the day I thought would never come is finally here. Today, my first book, and the theme of my heart, is now available. The Pursuit of Holy Leisure: Enjoying God in Everyday Places is born! I must admit, it's a little overwhelming, and there's a lot unknown at this point. It's a similar feeling to driving away after dropping your kids off at college. Your heart somehow detaches from your body, and you've got to let...
about 1 month agoΒ β’Β 3 min read
He's the head of all things! Reader, I've been studying 1 John lately, and thinking about John the Apostle's unique vantage point as an eyewitness to Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. John saw it all β from beginning to end. He even saw beyond the end, receiving the Revelation. This Easter, I wanted to consider the redemption story through John's perspective. Specifically, snapshots of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection that capture his physical head. In these moments, we see his...
about 2 months agoΒ β’Β 1 min read
God set her free from addiction! Reader, If you've ever struggled with any kind of addiction, you know the feeling of being powerless to overcome it or fight back. Perhaps, you've made baby steps of progress, only to later fall back into the same sin that ensnares you. And since you fight so hard and then lose so big, perhaps you've concluded you might as well go 'all in' on your sin and stop fighting it altogether. That was my friend Rebekah's story. For most of her adult life, she struggled...
2 months agoΒ β’Β 1 min read
What does it mean to be in Christ? Reader, Romans 8 tells us that when we belong to Jesus, the Spirit of God actually dwells in us. That truth changes our position before God, our identity, and our future hope. We call this glorious reality our union with Christ. In this weekβs post, I share a personal story from my momβs leukemia battle that gave me a vivid picture of this realityβa life-saving bone marrow transplant that forever united donor and recipient. Itβs a beautiful reminder that...
3 months agoΒ β’Β 1 min read
I'm officially "vintage!" Reader, It's not always easy to celebrate getting older, especially when you have a big front-number change. But I'm more overwhelmed with God's grace for the last half-century than I'm upset or sad about aging. In this week's post, I look back on some of the lessons and themes the Lord's been weaving through my life. I hope that no matter what decade or season of life you're in, you'll recognize some similar patterns of God's patient dealings with you through my...
3 months agoΒ β’Β 1 min read
What you think about this changes everything Reader, We hear (and talk) a lot about the importance of mindset these days. Often, we're encouraged to think or speak in a certain way to produce a desired outcome. The life we want, we're told, is on the other side of changing our minds about it. "Be more positive. Think good thoughts. Don't be so negative." It's true that what we think influences how we behave. But what if, instead of being frustrated with the outcome of our thoughts, we became...
3 months agoΒ β’Β 1 min read
Will you help me launch The Pursuit of Holy Leisure? Reader, After years of writing, praying, revising, and dreaming, my book The Pursuit of Holy Leisure: Enjoying God in Everyday Places is finally about to be released! This is such an exciting time, but the work is not finished yet! Iβm forming a small Launch Team of early readers who believe in this book's message of enjoying God and pursuing holy leisure with him, and who will help launch this book into the world. What is a Launch Team?A...
4 months agoΒ β’Β 2 min read