Thankfulness in Christ

Thanksgiving in the United States is one of my favorite holidays. I used to view it as the only holiday still untainted by secularism and materialism. But that was before football took over. Now, for many of us, largely because of the national obsession with American-style football, the most thanks that gets expressed on our … Continue reading Thankfulness in Christ

The Tongue is Like a Mosquito: James 3:1-12

This morning I awoke to the sound of a mosquito in my room, a predator intent on sucking the blood out of my body. Mosquitos are evil creatures whose only positive feature is that some birds and bats like the way they taste. This particular mosquito was tiny, and moved too quickly for me to … Continue reading The Tongue is Like a Mosquito: James 3:1-12

How Do You Identify?

If you fundamentally identify yourself as being in Christ—as opposed to all the other options for self-identification—you will regularly respond differently than those who closely identify with the world’s lesser alternatives. Let me offer some examples of responses that might proceed from people who view themselves fundamentally as “in” a lesser alternative rather than viewing … Continue reading How Do You Identify?

Let’s Just Get Through This

Here’s a thought experiment. Suppose that you possessed a magic ball from which dangled a tiny magic thread. Furthermore, suppose that when you tugged on that magic thread, you could skip to a later time in your life. If you tugged a little on the thread, little time would pass; if you tugged a lot, … Continue reading Let’s Just Get Through This

Rooted in Christ

Have you ever tried to uproot a tree? I don’t mean a little one… I remember as a teenager helping my dad remove an old and less-than-healthy cherry tree that sat in the middle of the front lawn of our family home in San Jose, California. All of us were tired of stepping on cherries … Continue reading Rooted in Christ

Diagnosing Pride: A Checklist

How can you identify that you have a problem with pride? Following are 14 diagnostic questions that I recently adapted from a set of “rules” (advice) written by 17th-century clergyman Jeremy Taylor to help Christians grow in humility.[1] Personally, I have returned a dozen or more times to Taylor’s advice over the past 25 years, … Continue reading Diagnosing Pride: A Checklist

Ephesians 1:3-14 Re-ordered Twice

Following is a little exercise I did while working on my new devotional book on union with Christ (what I refer to as inChristness in the book). I had noticed—like many before me—that Ephesians 1:3-14 is packed full of references to inChristness. Consequently, I decided to try to re-order the various clauses and phrases in … Continue reading Ephesians 1:3-14 Re-ordered Twice

How to Live an ‘In Christ’ Life: A New Book Announcement and How to Use the Book

I am excited to let you know that my newest book, How to Live an ‘In Christ’ Life: 100 Devotional Readings on Union with Christ has just been released in both print and electronic formats. Each chapter is exactly two pages long, and is packed full of analogies and illustrations to connect the Bible to … Continue reading How to Live an ‘In Christ’ Life: A New Book Announcement and How to Use the Book

Bible Memorization and the Problem of Changing Bible Translations

This post will address two sets of questions: 1) What translation should I use when I memorize the Bible? and 2) What if I have already memorized a passage? Should I try to update what I have already memorized to a new or updated translation? My family of birth began attending church when I was … Continue reading Bible Memorization and the Problem of Changing Bible Translations

My Favorite Passage on the Christian Life from George Müller

Here is my favorite passage from George Müller, the man of prayer and leader of orphan houses (1805-1898). This reading was originally a single passage that I have broken into five paragraphs. On Making Sure Your Soul is Happy in the Lord The welfare of our families, the prosperity of our business, our work and … Continue reading My Favorite Passage on the Christian Life from George Müller