Tag Archives: god

A Marker Stone from ICON — September 6, 2026 Yesterday, during the praise service at ICON, several thoughts began gathering around me. At first, they seemed separate. But this morning, I can see them becoming one. He is the Root of David. I have often thought of Jesus as the Son of David—the One whoContinue reading “A Root Beneath Us, a Fragrance Above Us”

I keep seeing the robe. The prodigal son comes home wearing the evidence of the far country. His robe is dusty from the road. It carries the odor of the pigpen. It is stained by wrong choices, wasted years, broken promises, and everything he experienced while living far from his father. He has rehearsed hisContinue reading “The Robe from the Father’s House”

Graduation, Commencement, and the Work That Continues We have rain this morning. Wonderful, soaking rain—the trailing gift of a tropical storm. After the long Texas heat, I listened to it and found myself saying aloud: “Thank You, Lord!” Perhaps the rain is partly responsible for my moving a little more slowly today. Rainy mornings seemContinue reading “Both Doors Say Go”

When God Interrupts the Plan A worship leader named Jennifer Whitlock wrote something that stopped me this morning: “I never want to get so good at following the plan that I forget how to let God interrupt it.” She described those moments during worship when something almost imperceptible shifts in the room. A lyric suddenlyContinue reading “Don’t Rush Past This”

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”

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”

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 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”