Very early in my faith walk I used to think Christian service was all about adding points to my SPIRITUAL SCORECARD so I would be seen by others as “Godly.” God eventually set me straight…Christian service is not a game and there are no points.    If our heart is not fully surrendered and reliant on God, then our service to his Kingdom will be little more than a transaction. It will be...

I’ve been thinking a lot about FREEDOM this month, starting with the always-powerful celebration of America’s independence and then quickly jumping to our FREEDOM in Christ. My focus has been fixed on the difference between being free and being TRULY free in Christ. The goal in that exploration was to identify the difference between the two, but then ponder the deeper question—truly free for what?    The...

Life is a series of decisions. One influencing another. The aggregate of those decisions compounding over time to animate our life story and unveil God’s plan for our time on earth. Having faith in God’s plan and purpose for our life is NOT easy! In fact, on the surface it looks IMPOSSIBLE.    Forget about FORKS IN THE ROAD. It’s hard enough knowing which road to take in the first place....

That headline at the top sounds silly on the surface, but hold on… According to the “Church of Google,” the online juggernaut is omnipresent and infinite. It remembers everything. And evidence of its existence is everywhere.    Case closed, right?    Of course not. All of that is absurd. But it is easy to see why so many people around the world trust Google more than any entity...

Faith in the WISDOM OF MAN is a dangerous dance with delusion.    I know this because I performed it myself. But God is using my painful experience to tell the story of how “FAITH IN MAN” leads to a counterfeit life bloated with pride and hubris.    FAITH IN MAN has been in play for over 2000 years, but today’s version presents itself through a “sophisticated” lens of technological...

Genuine Christian FAITH is believing in God’s promises; trusting in his faithfulness; and relying on his character to guide our life here and into eternity. But genuine faith is a MARATHON, not a sprint. Having faith comes through believing: With a surrendered heart, over time–not just once. In God’s plan to resurrect Jesus from the dead–for us. Without emotion, anchored on God’s...

That was how I was thinking early in my faith walk, and it was STUPID.    I had elected myself as “boss” and was making every decision in my life as if it was nothing more than ordering lunch. Everything boiled down to a transaction. It was a mechanical and sterile existence. And it was horrible.    When fear and worry settle in for a very long stay, the most common reaction is...

How would you describe America’s Independence Day? Parades and picnics? Friends and family? Hot dogs and hamburgers? Ice cream and apple pie? Baseball and barbeques? Flags and fireworks?    You could not go wrong with any or all of those choices (except fireworks which in my opinion are overrated). 🙂    But for me there is a single word that undergirds, defines, animates, and symbolizes...

Try to remember the moment when you fully realized your total helplessness and KNEW that God had given you complete FREEDOM. When you knew his love was life-changing. When you knew that you were completely transformed.  This was the day your spiritual emptiness was vanquished by God’s greatness and unconditional love for YOU personally. It was a day when you were freed from your sin bondage...

I was holding onto so many of the wrong things that it was impossible for God to use me in service for him and his Kingdom. It was early in my faith walk and while I did believe, I did not TRULY BELIEVE that God is the only source of our power. Put simply, I could not make an Anything & Everything commitment to God. You know, putting the Lord of Heaven and earth AHEAD of anything and everything. I...