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 by...

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....

It’s finally over and I actually survived! Now I can relax. It was a mindset I had that ruled the day early in my faith walk when my primary focus during a trial was anticipating when it would be over. It was efficient and effective. But it was wrong.    Yes, that approach was clearly wrong for a Christian trying to grow spiritually through life’s ups and downs. Actually, it is an attitude...

It doesn’t take long for children to start wanting something and eventually demanding everything. All of us have seen it play out when kids scream THAT’S MINE! This me-centered perspective is particularly evident today in the face of 21stCentury relativism, where everything is okay if “no one gets hurt.” It’s a sad farce.    Proof that adults are no different than kids in this regard can...

My friend was startled when a notice crawled across her screen with a banner headline screaming NSF! The first thing that crossed HER mind was “another non-sufficient funds (NSF) notice from my bank.”    The first thing that crossed MY mind when I heard his story was how those three letters—NSF—apply to a Christian’s faith walk.    How Christians can get NSF notices from God–NON-SUFFICIENT...

Some of you are at the CROSSROADS of life RIGHT NOW. For others, it is looming just ahead. For all of us, we will hit that junction at some point and then face it again and again. In fact, we find ourselves standing at the CROSSROADS of life more now than ever before. What used to happen every few years now happens every few months when we hit the CROSSROADS of faith, family, career, relationships,...