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Want Financial Freedom? [ 1 min read ★ ] . . . as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything— 2 Corinthians 6:10 We ache for financial freedom. We imagine being one day free from worry about money. We dream of security and peace...

Going Too Many Directions? [ 1 min read ★ ] . . . let us run with endurance the race that is set before us—Hebrews 12:1 Every man has a sweet spot—a skill, an aptitude, a function that results in maximum impact for a given amount of effort. We’ve all felt...

Depression: How To Help Those Who Are Suffering When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34: 17, 18 Experts consult; then move on. Friends and family keep at it...

Praise Is Not a Proxy for God’s Acceptance We live in an age of relentless self-promotion. Whether on social media or in ministry circles, people feel pressure to showcase their accomplishments—platforms built, books written, churches planted, degrees earned. Christians are not immune to this...

You’re Made for Adventure [ 1 min read ★ ] . . . how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done?—Numbers 14:11 God the Father designed us for adventures . . . for his adventures. Listen for his call. Imagine a boy awakened early by his...

What are the 7 Worst Things Parents do and How to Become a Great Parent? Parents do some very dumb things. I know I have and my kids know it and my wife can confirm it! But we don’t get up one morning and say to ourselves, “I think I will do some dumb things today and become a bad parent”! That...

Doing Too Many Things? [ 1 min read ★ ] The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day—Psalm 139:16 There are twenty-four hours in every day. We wish for more. We often act as if there were more: stay at work a little longer; stay up a little...

What's This "Margin" Thing? [ 1 min read ★ ] I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes—Job 3:26 Men are drawn toward extremes. We’re wired to want to explore the edges of things. Going to extremes can be good, of course. In most...

Walk With Me Through the Valley Some days it’s hard to keep going. Some days are easier. You’re human. You have not been affording yourself the grace to experience the days as they are. You’re super spirituality does not allow you to acknowledge the valleys. I did not tell you that you would...

When Wandering Isn’t Losing: Trusting God’s Path “Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost” I usually talk to graduates about the quotation, “All that is gold does not glitter; not all those who wander are lost” (J. R. R. Tolkien from The Fellowship of the Ring). I usually concentrate on the first...

Forming Family Habits That Disciple: Habits of the Household In the same way that rails dictate where a train goes, our habits become grooves that often unconsciously dictate what we do and where we go. All of us have habits. Not all of our habits are good. Not all of them are patterns in our...

Eight Years of living with Chronic Illness Today is the 8th anniversary of my diagnosis with blood cancer. I had been sick for several weeks and therefore the diagnosis was not out of the blue. But what was less expected was that I would constantly struggle with chronic illnesses from then on...

Don’t Forget the Invite [ 1 min read ★ ] . . . and he will give you another Helper—John 14:16 With his time on earth ending, Jesus told his disciples, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever . . .” (John 14:16-17). This Helper “will...

Doing What Is Right Is Its Own Reward Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. “In many ways, sin is the punishment for sin. The more I choose against God’s design and give in to my sinful desires, the more I suffer even if I never get caught, even if no one else knows.” How...

Contentment – Enjoying The Process Not Just The Result But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. “…One of the greatest life lessons you...

The Wise Choice I was recently speaking on the issue of sacrifice. Most people don’t really like the idea of sacrificing because they believe it is all about giving up something that is of value to them. However, consider the proper definition of sacrifice: “The forfeiture of something highly...

We’re Here, Now What? [ 1 min read ★ ] Love one another with brotherly affection—Romans 12:10 We can’t live the full lives promised to us by our King, Jesus Christ, if we’re not in regular, authentic community with other guys. And the Church* can never be the Church—not as God...

Is Doubt a Threat—or a Tool—for Christian Faith? I have increasingly encountered this Christian valorizing of doubt in sermons and informal conversations. Christian Thoughts about Doubt Frederick Buechner famously wrote that “Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and...

Mistakes in Gathering [ 1 min read ★ ] . . . if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself—Galatians 6:3 When we men relent and finally accept that we’re designed for community with other men, we nearly always start with the wrong criteria for...

Six warning signs of a “drifting” marriage I recently sat down with a couple who have been married for a long time, but recently some relational “drift” in their marriage had slowly sent them in opposite directions like two ships that are each just slightly off course, but over time, that...