The summer breeze is flipping the calendar’s pages and replacing May with June. In the process, it will also produce a new opportunity for all of us to “turn over a new leaf.”    TURN OVER A NEW LEAF: to start over, to act in a different manner or change your attitude about something.    This idiom was birthed in the 16th Century when pages in books were referred to as leaves before...

We’re headed into the home stretch on our month-long look at SPIRITUAL AUTHENTICITY. The ride has featured myriad looks at the subject, but every angle takes us back to GOD as the anchor.    We’ve learned that SPIRITUAL AUTHENTICITY is about developing an intimate relationship with Christ. Then that builds our Christian character. Then that prompts us to emulate Jesus. No mask wearing. No...

Our deep dive into SPIRITUAL AUTHENTICITY this month has focused largely on what others see in our faith walk and how they would characterize it on an AUTHENTICITY SCALE. We have stressed the need to always look to God as our spiritual authenticity guide. And we have covered the imperative to be SINCERE in our heart as we seek to be ever more like Christ.    That is the sturdy foundation...

For nearly a month now, we have been drilling deep into what it means to be SPIRITUALLY AUTHENTIC. That exploration has been built on a foundation of this immutable truth—SPIRITUAL AUTHENTICITY is defined by God’s Word…NOT by our ideas; NOT by our manufactured attempts; and NOT by our cosmetically-contrived charades.    We’ve identified the clear and present danger of trying to manufacture...

Like it or not, authenticity has become a buzzword in modern-day Christianity. So as we head into the final stretch on our month-long look at SPIRITUAL AUTHENTICITY, it’s time to deal with the uncomfortable subject of BUZZWORD FAITH.    buzz·word: a word or phrase, often jargon, that is fashionable at a particular time or in a particular context.    That pretty much describes where...

SPIRITUALLY AUTHENTIC Christians are “walking letters from God” (2 Corinthians 3:1-5) exhibiting a transformed life that CANNOT be explained by anything else but God’s hand. They are infused with boundless joy. Held up by hope. Freed from shame. Rescued from darkness. Protected from fear. Powered with purpose.    Many Christians try—without success–to manufacture this kind of spiritually-authentic...

The WORLD values, desires, and chases INTEGRITY. And that’s a good thing. Look at how Mr. Webster puts it:    in·teg·ri·ty: The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; the state of being whole and undivided.    Here are three of the most common ways the world looks at INTEGRITY: 1) Living your life in private as you live it in public; 2) Being honest and telling...

Want to take the pulse of your SPIRITUAL AUTHENTICITY? Measure the level of your OPTIMISM. How well–and true–a believer lives with optimism plays a significant role in determining the depth of their SPIRITUAL AUTHENTICITY.    I call this AUTHENTIC OPTIMISM and the story is set against this backdrop:    The world’s operation manual for living in the 21st Century was...

This just in from our global online tribe: “I actively read and post Christian content but it does not feel spiritually authentic to me like the subject you have been writing about. It’s discouraging.”    Social media is NOT a bad thing for Christian content and spiritual growth. In fact, it can be a very powerful tool. My ministry was built solely on social media platforms.   ...

There will be times in the life of every Christian when the skies are dark and menacing, just like that day on Golgotha when Jesus had what felt like failure race through his bloodied and grimacing frame. But all believers must remember that on that day and every day since, God can be found leading his children to VICTORY. We just need to flip his VICTORY SWITCH to the on position.    ...