the journey

Photo by Lan Yao on Pexels.com I found myself earlier this week, lying in bed feeling a bit under the weather. With all the “seemingly” pressing needs swirling around in my mind, being there in bed wasn’t great. Yet, lying there, just resting, not doing anything, was great. Isn’t that a great challenges we all face? The need to get things done vs. the need to rest. There was a battle waging in…

“Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind.” This is a quote from Nathaniel Hawthorne I think about more as I get along in years. Yes, time flies by. But what does it mean that it leaves its shadow behind? I’m not sure what Hawthorne had in mind when he penned those words in a conversation in his book, The Marble Faun. A book I never read. But what it means to me, at this time, is that…

It’s interesting how I can be in a large crowd of people and yet there’s a sense of loneliness in my heart. I’ve noticed this in me as I led different groups and congregations. There’s a lot of attention being a leader. And yet, being a leader can be an awfully lonely place. Ruth Haley Barton wrote an article entitled, “The Loneliness of Leadership.” She starts off writing, “Any leader who…

There is much God wants us to learn through the lives of those around us. It can happen when we least expect it. It was at a dinner with a group of pastor that God taught me about a powerful, yet often overlooked secret weapon. I was a relatively young pastor at the time, on staff at a dynamic and growing church. Seated next to me was an older gentleman quietly enjoying the time eating with…

Here’s a wonderful poem from DarylMadden about something God has been calling me to. In a world that is so easy to be dissatisfied, unhappy, envious, anxious, discontented, and the list goes on, God calls us to contentment. I want to be able to declare as the Apostle Paul did in Philippians 4:12. “I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all…

An indispensable quality leaders should possess is something I didn’t realize I needed. For a long time. I knew integrity was important. Humility and being teachable, also important. Then there’s vision, accountability, resilience, and passion. All important. So many important attributes and practices when it comes to leadership. But I never considered courage. Courage is essential, especially…

So often, I think of my life with Jesus as a journey. A journey of setting the compass in my life on true north. In this ever-changing world in which we live Jesus is our truth north. In this seemingly roller coaster of a ride called my life, Jesus is my truth north. But.. that’s easier said than done… at least for me. These past few years have been pretty challenging. For a number of reasons.…

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”Jesus, Matthew 11:28-30 It’s been so wearisome, with all the challenges living in such a crazy and challenging time. Then you add ministry and all the daily…

A Branch… But Also a Precious Child

It has always been a challenge for me to just receive love, always an underlying feeling that I must somehow work and earn that love. John and Paula Sanford call it, “performance orientation.” The constant propensity of the born anew is to fall back to striving by human effort. Our minds and spirits know the free gift of salvation, but our hearts retain their habit to earn love by performing……

The Longing of the Heart

A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul…Proverbs 13:19 Spending time with my Father this morning stirred a longing in my heart. I asked Him to turn my heart fully to Him, that my heart would beat in sync with His. As I prayed, I felt a stirring and a longing deep in my heart. Turning once again to my friend, Andrew Murray, in his book, “The True Vine,” God uses “Andy” to speak right where I…

That Son… is Me

It’s 3:35 am. I get up feeling a tightness in my gut. Unfortunately, an all too familiar feeling of anxiety begins to envelope me like a fog. I try to shake it off but to no avail. I try to go back to sleep… yet I know that is not going to happen. Eyes wide open now, staring into the darkness, I whisper, “Dad, I need a breakthrough.” I begin to recall songs of praise and worship hoping for that…

The Heartfelt Counsel of a Friend

The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.Proverbs 27:9 I am so thankful for the friends the Lord has blessed me with. Over the past years, He has given me friends I have never met before, some who are now in heaven. One of the things I would always say to our children was, “Books are our friends.” God has blessed me with authors whose written words touched me so…

Motivation from Jimmy Chitwood

I love the movie, “Hoosier.” It’s a great story about a small town Indiana high school that goes on to win the state championship. The school gets a new coach, who the townsfolk didn’t appreciate and wanted fired. They hold a town meeting to vote whether to keep or oust the coach. Well, they vote to get rid of the coach. Then in walks Jimmy Chitwood, the star player from the year before who…

  It’s been quite thrilling, actually, reading Mme. Guyon’s book, “Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ.” Thrilling and challenging because it just speaks directly to my soul who thirsts for more of Jesus and seems to enjoy challenges.

She writes, “…God has a magnetic attracting quality! Your God is like a magnet! The Lord naturally draws you more and more toward Himself…As you move toward…

Photo by Wendy Wei on Pexels.com “Bigger is better.” “Size matters.” (I’m referring to church size, okay? “The bigger the better!”

When I think about those sayings, I immediately try to dismiss them with quaint sayings that seem more humble and inspiring.

Like Mark Twain-“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” I love that one!

From Mom Teresa-“Be…

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The start of a new year always comes with a sense of excitement and anticipation for me. It’s like I get to have a fresh start in some ways. My mind wonders what God will bring in the coming year. There’s always a sense of wonder with a new year.

This year, I have begun to read a book that is unlike most books I tend to read. One day while meeting with someone, this…