This just in from our global online tribe: “What does it mean to open your heart to the things of God that I keep hearing about during the Christmas season?” You are right—the Christmas season is a time when we hear a lot about hearts. Good hearts. Open hearts. Loving hearts. And HARDENED hearts.    I will focus here on the HARDENED HEART since your question is about how to “open your heart...

This just in from our global online tribe of 462,000 followers: “There are so many things to do in the Christmas season that I am wound up like the toy I just bought my son. How can I find peace?” This great question has been asked for decades. The most common answer looks like this: “Just Remember That Jesus Is The Reason For The Season.”    CORRECT! But that’s a partial answer.    Yes,...

Living with gratitude is NOT easy. Not even on Thanksgiving Day! Yep…being thankful is difficult, especially when the plot of our life’s movie dives into the dark. But EXPRESSING thankfulness is not the hard part. The challenge is to know WHY God commands us to show gratitude.    Thanksgiving week is a great time to think about this “REAL REASON” for gratitude. But not as a once-a-year...

We need to count our blessings every day of the year for life, right? OF COURSE! But if we’re not vigilant and paying very close attention, human nature will steer our focus away from BLESSINGS and move it toward WOUNDS. Once that happens, wounds and worries have a way of hijacking our thoughts and prevent us from “counting blessings.”    But when I think of “counting my blessings,” it conjures...

NAMELESS greetings are like losing all of your hair and having someone tell you “it will be easier to manage now.” Let’s face it…not hearing our name is depersonalizing. But God knows our name and he knew it before we knew him.    Just think of it–there are nearly 8 Billion people on the planet and God knows YOUR name!    “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed...

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 In ALL circumstances, really? How can we be thankful and full of gratitude when our life hits turbulence or even crashes?    That was the question just posed to me by a member of our global online tribe. And when I read it, my first thought was: “She doesn’t know that God is...

Millions of veterans are being celebrated today across America for their limitless bravery, selfless sacrifice, and resolve to protect us from enemies that would destroy our country and way of life. But a national holiday seems to fall short of reaching the level of gratitude they should be receiving on this Veterans’ Day in 2019.    Of course we cannot fathom the pain they endured on our...

This seems like an EASY question: Are you thankful for the love of God? “OF COURSE” is the answer that would pass through the lips of most Christians. Not so fast. The answer may not be that obvious.   On the surface it does seem like an easy question. But if we quickly say we are thankful for the love of God, it should beg this question: “WHY? Why do you want God to love you?” To be healthy...

November is the month of THANKFULNESS in America. It may culminate with Thanksgiving Day, but there are myriad opportunities—and a great need—to be thankful all month and ALWAYS. The best way to pull that off is focusing on GRATITUDE, one of the most important but often overlooked words in a Christian’s faith walk. God established GRATITUDE to be the guardian of our soul. If we generate and project...

Christians should NOT be spooked by this annual dance in the dark. Armed with the power of Christ and accompanied by the Holy Spirit, Halloween is not a threat. IT’S AN OPPORTUNITY! Trembling at the appearance of Halloween’s pretentious entrance is a rejection of God’s supreme power. We need to do the opposite! Halloween is an opportunity to stare down fear and its accomplice cloaked in darkness.    Our...