The Gift Everyone Desperately Needs This Christmas

It feels like the pandemic has affected everything in 2020. Even the most “wonderful time of the year” is feeling a little different. Some items are in short supply. Gatherings are uncertain. Covid-19 fatigue is real and pervasive. Which makes my gift suggestion even more critical for this season. Why not give others the gift of extravagant grace? Everyone needs grace and God can supply an infinite supply if we simply ask Him. One of the most compelling illustrations of God’s extravagant grace is the story of the Prodigal Son. The son rebelled, sinned, and suffered the horrible consequences of his actions. The son realized his sin and in humble desperation decides to throw himself on the mercy of his father, believing he had lost all his privileges of being a son. But nothing had changed for his father. It reads like a Hollywood story of tear-jerking redemption. A child who is lost and hopeless. A father who never quits
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Reviewing the Jesus Contract

When Joni and I recently purchased a new house we visited the title company to sign the official documents. The person from the title company relentlessly pushed papers in front of us along with a brief description of what we were signing. My memory may not be exact but it was something like this. This one says that the builder is transferring the deed to you. And this one says that you have paid the taxes that you owe to Caesar. This one says that you agree to let the HOA control everything you think and do. This one says that you are paying us random fees that you have no idea what they are or why they are needed but you have no choice. This one says a lawyer gets a lot of money for cut and pasting into a standard document. It was a mind-numbing process and by the end I probably would have signed anything put in
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You Are Not an Accident!

Psalm 139 is one of the most inspiring Psalms in Scripture and it was the inspiration for my book Waking Up Slowly. We don’t know when David wrote this stirring account of God’s indescribable attributes. Some believe he wrote it as a shepherd while gazing at the stars and the enormity of the heavens. Some feel he wrote it when he became king over Israel. As a more experienced human being myself it certainly feels like David had to have lived a little more life in order to write such a majestic dialog with God. But the truth is we just don’t know. In this amazing Psalm David made three observations about the greatness of God. God knows everything about us. God is everywhere we are. God ordains everything about you. The Psalmist clearly proclaims that we are not accidents and there is a purpose for you and me. You know me inside and out,    you know every bone in my
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Meet Grunt the Runt!

Grunt the Runt Finds His Purpose is the story of a little puppy with a big heart. Grunt learns that God creates every one of His creatures with a special role to fulfill but sometimes the journey to find your way is tough. Grunt finds his way into a service dog training program for military veterans. You will be touched by the heartwarming completion of Grunt the Runt’s determined and successful trek to find his purpose. A portion of EVERY sale will go to Patriot Paws Service Dogs to further their vital mission to help disabled American veterans find canine companions. Click here now to support this cause and enjoy an inspiring story of a true underdog.
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The Spiritual Cost of Worry

I see a lot of worried people around me. Worried about the pandemic. Worried about the election. Worried about all kinds of things. But this old proverb rings true today. “Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere.” As I get older I experience more and more how practical Scripture is for daily living. In the teaching of my youth the Bible was a book of lofty and seemingly impossible demands to behave in a way that would please God. Now I see that the Bible is a love story where Jesus met those impossible demands on my behalf. I see now that my simple faith and trust pleases God. And I see a practical book that shows me how to find joy during this temporary journey on earth. The Designer knew when we left the factory that worry is destructive. The study above merely confirms what Jesus said a
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A Little Perspective Before November 3rd

We live in such an unsettling time. A global pandemic. Disunity in our nation and even among our church family. Political anger that destroys relationships between family and friends. If my focus is on social media and the news things might seem completely hopeless. But my focus is not on those things. My hope is not in Washington, D.C. My hope is in the finished work of Jesus. This life is just the warmup act for followers of Jesus. A classic tune from the Righteous Brothers reflects my hope. If you believe in forever,Then life is just a one-night stand. Those lyrics reminded me that even if you hit triple digits on the age odometer this journey is still an eternal blink of the eye. Your significance is not how long but how well you live your life. Not how much fame or money you gain but what you do with time you are given. This weekend a song popped
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Surviving a Storm

Sometimes this faith journey goes pretty smoothly and it is easy to express your trust and dependence on God. At other times it feels lonely, frightening and sad. In 2020 it feels like we have been navigating the latter reality most of the time. The weird relational dynamic of this year exacerbates normal life stressers. I give grace and it is not returned. Every street feels like it is one-way. Dear friends are deeply wounded by words and posts from people who claim to be following Jesus. Judgements are rendered that are not ours to make. I agonize over how these believers can wound so deeply and still say they know Christ? Marriage vows are abandoned at the altar of self. Illness ravages families and friends. I question my ability to have any impact for Christ as I stumble clumsily through my own journey. Simple trust is a concept that is anything but simple to live out. And yet I
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