Lost in the demands to “keep Christ in Christmas” and the requests to “remember the reason for the season” is a broader purpose: hope for a messed up world. You see, the Old Testament ends with a prophesy through Malachi. He was one of several prophets who tried...
Benevolence is a word for charity that we hear less often that we once did. It's usually in the context of an organizational benevolence fund created to help people during distressed seasons of life. Today, though, I think we just commonly lump everything into the...
We hear the phrase “Heartfelt Words” or similar expressions from time-to-time. Most of the time, we say it in context of expressing sympathy or to show genuine care. However, angry words or words and phrases that are rooted in bitterness, jealousy, envy, or other...
How do you spot a fake? More importantly, how do you realize you're being a fake? Or more challenging, how do you be true to who you are even when you must behave a certain way to be sensitive to others? I grapple with these questions more than most will ever know....
We often speak of a heavenly reward. It's usually said in relation to the phrase “you can't take it with you.” The “it” in this case is all the stuff we acquire in life. Our homes, cars, clothes, gadgets, toys… even our money. This stuff is stuff we gather, collect,...
What does authentic love look like? It's a question I’m often pondering. Never really landed on an answer, until now. You know it when I see it. Every now and then, God sends a perfect illustration. It's sometimes like the missing puzzle piece that’s key to the whole...
I don’t know how it goes in other countries, but the U.S. culture certainly has an interesting relationship with the concept of shame. On the one hand, it seems that nobody has any shame. In addition, people are constantly thrusting themselves into attention seeking...
The idea of life transformation isn’t new. Although, it’s usually mentioned in the context of self-help or motivational speaking, those quests are overwhelmingly fruitless. In fact, there is no shortage of books, videos, blogs, conferences, pyramid scams and the like...
A former co-worker once told me she was meditating on the idea of Speak Truth in love, and she saw me. She said she saw me and visible words literally flowing from me. It was both awkward and humbling. We spoke very little of it ever again. As she explained, it was...