Self-Examination

Reality is obstinate and stubborn. Obdurate and inflexible. Recalcitrant and uncompromising. Reality is what will not go away when we stop thinking about it or escape momentarily from its grasp. Yes, Christians have been accused of escapism for a very long time. Karl Marx accused Christians of using their religion as an opiate to escape […]

I’m watching 2018 begin its final march into the sunset with a burning desire to make 2019 more significant than the year it nudges off the horizon. More significant in understanding my life purpose. And more significant in serving others who need God’s love and hope. But making that dream a reality is not an

A close friend of mine is struggling mightily with the notion of fairness right now as he endures a barrage of attacks from a troubled bully. His plea for prayer last night got me thinking that all of us face this challenge. That’s why I include this two-part question in my year-end spiritual assessment: 1)

The planet is in a perpetual winter of sin that has produced a deep state of spiritual hibernation. And early in my faith walk I had joined that group in spiritual slumber. At the time, I looked at the Bible as sacred and important, but it was dead and dormant in terms of being alive

December is my time of reflection on the past and repositioning for the future. A time when I confront reality head on and resolve to think different; act different; be different. This year my thoughts quickly turned to the notion of refuge—where I went when the storms of life crashed my pad. And I thanked

Expectancy is one of the most powerful words on the planet! It drives my faith and animates the desires of my heart. And it only takes 36 seconds to give it wings and the power to fly. We just need to do it! Earlier in my life I underestimated the power expectancy had on my

My end-of-year review hunkered down pretty deep over the last few days as I pondered that nettlesome but critically-important question “what have you done with your salvation, Mark?” I ask this question a lot throughout the year, but camp out on it in December with an extra level of scrutiny. It’s a self-challenging process that

Early in my faith walk I wanted to visit Bali or Fiji or Tahiti and stay in one of those bungalows hovering above the ocean’s cobalt ink. I wanted to rest peacefully under the sparking glints of sunlight that would later be punctuated by a silver moon dangling from a string so close you could

I was frozen in place with too many options. Too many unknowns. Too many chances to do nothing. It was earlier in my faith walk when I thought options and choices equaled FREEDOM. My calculus was simple: God allows multiple options in a believer’s life, right? Yes. Ok, so options must be good.    A