Despite our past failings and mistakes we can still experience beauty, goodness and joy. About 10 years ago, we planted new trees and shrubs in our backyard. As a centerpiece we planted this Japanese maple where we could see it outside our patio windows. We knew its color would be awesome, not to mention its beautiful shape. When the tree was still small I noticed it leaned to the right. I tried to correct it by pulling it …
Category: Shame and Regret
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36 ESV The process of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly is one of the most dramatic natural phenomena that I know. The poor caterpillar only knows one world….climbing on limbs and stems eating leaves. Caterpillars are slow and are significantly susceptible to being eaten by other prey, like birds. Yet, at some point, the earth-bound insect dies, dissolves into a glob of enzymes and proteins, and emerges as …
Sometimes it seems our world is only filled with wars, civil unrest, beheadings, evil rampages and moral decline. It must pain God to see how we treat each other….in both unspoken ways (like prejudice) and in more outward ways like murder and the bombing of innocents. Isaiah 60:2 (ESV) says: For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. Like you, I am …
One day a little boy excitedly hopped on his new bike to join his friends when all of a sudden the chain came off. He tried to fix it but couldn’t. He didn’t know that the nut holding the tire on was loose, making the chain perpetually loose. He was so desperate to ride he borrowed his sister’s bike, but was soon felt defeated having to ride a bike with pink tassels hanging from the handlebars. So, he sat on the sidewalk and sulked watching …
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. – Psalm 51:10 (NIV) This plea from King David was his response after his affair with Bathsheba. When facing his sin, he turned to God and cried out for a clean heart. We too can follow David’s example, turn to God and seek a pure heart. But the enemy wants us to dwell on our sin…to lay in shame and wallow in our unfaithfulness. He wants us to delay our confession and …
On Good Friday the Christian world celebrates the good news of not having to bear the penalty of our own sinfulness toward God. Thankfully, we did not get what we deserved for our rebellion against God. Christ paid the price for our sin and became sin for us, so we could be restored to relational union with Him. Amazingly, because of Easter, when we spit in God’s face and do our own thing, we can quickly confess our wrong…turn from our sinful ways …
In my last blog, we looked at the definition of the heart, the need to be sensitive to our heart and we considered how to live from our heart. In this part 2 to the heart, we’ll examine how western culture values the mind and we’ll ask the question as to whether the heart is good. The Wonder and Dominance of the Mind In the western world, we tend to emphasize the mind over the heart. Think of the esteem we give to institutions of higher …
I went to a counselor once who, more or less, told me I had a case of “excessive striving”. Not surprisingly, I was oblivious to what she was saying. But as I looked at my life, I realized I lived my day-to-day existence nearly always pushing, prompting, nudging, urging, cajoling, nagging or convincing people to respond or act the way I thought was best for them. People experienced my excessive striving by frequent voicemails, email reminders, hints of “hey you owe me …
I’m going to guess that the Monday blues have been around forever. I wonder if people in the 8th century rose from their straw mats on Mondays and dreaded the work ahead of them. Planting, hunting for food, getting firewood and fighting off wild beasts. As a modern society, however, we seem even more cynical and disinterested in work. Why are so few people eager to go to work on Mondays? Surely, we need an antidote to the Monday blues. I’ve had many days …
We get snow infrequently here in Atlanta, so, when it does snow, even now at 52 years old, I turn into a kid. I love watching kids build snowmen, I love to sit indoors watching it fall, I enjoy standing outside as the flakes land on my bald head…heck, I still eat it (as long as it’s not yellow). I even used sleet from this week’s blast as ice in my Coke Zero…just like a 12 year old. The long-awaited gentle, quiet …