Meekness, Might, and the Strength We Keep Misunderstanding Two statements crossed my path recently. The first explained Jesus’ words, “Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth,” by saying that the Greek word praus was a military term for a warhorse trained to charge into battle without panic. The meek, it said, are extremely dangerousContinue reading “God Does Not Need Our Swagger”
Tag Archives: faith
Hanging In There
The God Who Notices Splinters We have been home from Alaska for one week. It has been a good week. Or perhaps I should say it has been a successful week. Those are not always exactly the same thing. Two prison messages have been delivered at the Chapel of Hope. The first was on theContinue reading “Hanging In There”
Yesterday afternoon, it started with music.
Tanya and I were home again after our Alaska trip, still trying to convince our bodies that Texas time is the time that matters. We were listening to classical guitar on YouTube. One song led to another. Later we watched Song Sung Blue, the story of two ordinary people with rather extraordinary dreams. They wanted toContinue reading “Yesterday afternoon, it started with music.”
The Theology of Rest
This morning I am home. Really home. Yesterday morning, sometime around 6:20, our plane touched down in Houston. Then came the shuttle to the car, followed by another two hours on the road to Lufkin. By the time Tanya and I walked through our own front door, Alaska seemed both very near and very farContinue reading “The Theology of Rest”
THE CUP
He went a little farther. Not far enough to disappear from sight, perhaps, but far enough to be alone. The three disciples remained beneath the olive branches behind Him. They could see the outline of His body moving through the shadows. They may have heard the first broken words of His prayer. But they couldContinue reading “THE CUP”
THE KIDRON VALLEY REMEMBERS
The Valley Remembers Andante dolorosoTrans Torrentem Cedron Night had settled over Jerusalem. The city still breathed with the anticipation of Passover. Pilgrims filled its streets. Lamps flickered in narrow windows. Somewhere, families were gathering around tables where fathers would once again tell the ancient story. “When your son asks you…” Israel had been remembering forContinue reading “THE KIDRON VALLEY REMEMBERS”
Rededicate 250
There are moments in the life of a nation when politics grows strangely quiet for a moment, and something deeper rises to the surface. Not legislation.Not campaigns.Not arguments. Prayer. On the National Mall in Washington, D.C., voices gathered again in prayer, praise, repentance, and thanksgiving under the banner of Rededicate 250. In a fractured andContinue reading “Rededicate 250”
A Walk Through the Vineyard
Rainy days in East Texas have a way of slowing a man down.The trees drip.The roads shine dark beneath the clouds.And somewhere in the quiet places of the soul, Scripture begins speaking again. Today my thoughts wandered back into John 15. I have visited that chapter for years now.Returned to it.Quoted it.Taught from it inContinue reading “A Walk Through the Vineyard”
The Path Is Already Under Your Feet
There are seasons in life when we sincerely ask, “Lord, show me Your will.” We want direction. We want clarity. We want to know what lies ahead. We ask what decision to make, which road to take, how the next chapter should unfold. These are honest prayers, and most believers have prayed them many times.Continue reading “The Path Is Already Under Your Feet”
Wearing a Mask?
For too long, the church has sometimes acted as if holiness means pretending. Pretending we are above struggle. Pretending we are beyond temptation. Pretending that if we just keep the right appearance, everything must be fine underneath. But that kind of pretending does not make us holy. It makes us hidden. And hidden things growContinue reading “Wearing a Mask?”
Spiritual Wanderings 