Spiritual Growth

Devotional-style readings to help you grow and develop wisdom as a spouse, parent, friend, leader, and most importantly, as a Jesus-follower.
Will You Become an Includer? Will You Become an Includer?
Community

Will You Become an Includer?

A friend of ours was talking about Thanksgiving dinner at her house growing up. “There was always someone there we didn’t know,” she said. “Mom would always call up someone she thought would be alone…

Lost Lost
Purpose

Lost

Imagine you arrive in Chicago for a business meeting. It’s not until the next night so you decide to explore the city. Having never been to Chicago before, you grab a coffee, find a map,…

What Story Will You Tell? What Story Will You Tell?
Purpose

What Story Will You Tell?

Imagine you’re 85 years old, living in a nursing home, and your health is beginning to fail. One of your grandkids has always had a special place in their heart for you, but over the…

A Believer with No Faith A Believer with No Faith
Theology

A Believer with No Faith

I’ve thought a lot about my life before I become a Jesus-follower at age 33. Raised in the Baptist church, I was taught the tenets of Christianity. I knew the rules, the characters and the…

Obedience is Faith Exercised Obedience is Faith Exercised
Decision-Making

Obedience is Faith Exercised

There’s a word nobody uses much anymore. In a world of freedom, positive reinforcement and behavior modification, this word seems old school and out of touch. The word is obedience. Andrew Murray wrote a slew…

We are Complete We are Complete
Community

We are Complete

My church just had its annual Man Night. Quite a production with campfires, bacon snacks, brownies and milk, film clips . . . you know, real guy stuff. At the end of the main talk,…

This Way of Life This Way of Life
Walking the Talk

This Way of Life

As someone who lives and breathes mentoring, I always light up when I find a Scripture about disciple-making. One time, I was reading through the book of Matthew and as I neared the end, I knew…

Identity is Ascribed Identity is Ascribed
Identity

Identity is Ascribed

Who am I? Identity was Dictionary.com’s 2015 Word of the Year. Millions are ordering DNA profiles on themselves. What’s my race? My nationality of origin? Why do we care so much about identity? Because we…

Rules are Decisions Made in Advance Rules are Decisions Made in Advance
Decision-Making

Rules are Decisions Made in Advance

Here’s a principle for you . . . rules are decisions made in advance. I mean think about it, when the sign says “No Parking,” someone made a decision for me in advance of my…