Cultivating peace is not just a, being still in the Lord, and it will suddenly fall upon us. It is learned as Philippians 4:11 teaches us. “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” In the workplace and in our personal lives we often set for ourselves a vision and … Read More
No Butter Knives
No Butter Knives There are two great offensive weapons given to us by God. They are prayer and the Word of God or Sword of the Spirit. We can tend to think of Ephesians 6 and the armor of God when we think of warfare. The armor of God is the defensive suit we wear into battle. The use of … Read More
Music Therapy
Music can be good therapy. Music functions in Scripture in many ways. It is one of the divinely appointed vehicles for the word of Christ (Colossians 3:16). Music can be a gift of grace enabling the repentant, depressed person to walk in obedient faith, (Psalm 32:7) regardless of their circumstances (Habakkuk 3:17-19). It can provide structured discipline in renewing the … Read More
Christmas Contemplation
Some of us have learned how to spend a lot of time with ourselves this past year. Maybe we have discovered we needed some time for rest and reflection. It has made some of us start to contemplate who we are in our deepest selves and slow down and pay attention. It has been a time where we have started … Read More
Build Up or Tear Down
None of us look forward to the experience of criticism. Criticism can tear us down and overtime can cause to think we are unlikeable failures. Feedback is received well when someone says they think we are doing good in one area but see where we could improve. The text of Ephesians 4:25-32 gives us some clear rules for governing our … Read More
Longing for More
We long for a more personal and intimate relationship with God. Our hearts crave a connection with God from His Word. We have knowledge of the Word but something is missing. We live in a high-performance culture, where holding to deep spiritual values is not regarded as the greatest treasure. In the pressure to perform we are tempted to look … Read More
Detach to Attach
Have you ever found yourself enslaved to something? Enslavement occurs for most of us at the level of habit. Liberation also takes place at the level of habit. There are two basic points of view that influence our choices. We can summarize the first with the phase, “The one with the most toys wins.” This is a way of life … Read More
Time to Retreat
When the gridlock of your schedule is relentlessly controlling you, when your heart is beating against the prison walls of your enslavement to the task list, it is time to spend time with the Lord. Is it time to step away and follow the pattern of Jesus’ life? He sought times of quiet solitude. “In the morning, while it was … Read More
Get in Condition
It is by trial and error, by frustration and dryness that I have learned that I cannot order up a praying heart. I have had to learn how to get myself in the frame of mind and condition to pray. It is important to understand how to start yourself off, and it is in this place that is crucial that … Read More
Tyranny of the Urgent
t The demanding moments in life can crowd out more important priorities that ultimately are of greater consequence. When we are in a constant state of emergency we can find it difficult to step back and make thoughtful decisions. Urgency was the culture of the company in which Deb worked. She was very task oriented and reacted to the demands … Read More