There are moments in our lives that change everything. These are the watershed moments, the events that bring about a new reality, whether we like it or not. For our country, we experienced watershed moments in the Vietnam War, the 9/11 attacks or the financial crisis of 2008. In our personal lives, these watershed moments […]
Life in a pandemic is like a dense fog that comes upon you while driving your car. You continue to drive, but your vision is impaired. Turns in the road appear out of the fog with less warning and must be negotiated with greater agility. In order to react quickly to those unexpected twists and […]
They say it takes about three weeks to make a habit. Once the new behavior is established, you don’t have to force yourself to do it. Eventually, you find yourself snapping to action without a second thought at all. The pandemic has caused us to establish some new habits in order to keep each other […]
Following Jesus is hard. It’s easy to feel paralyzed or rudderless in the midst of our sinful reality. Jesus himself said that the narrow way would be difficult and it would be easy to stray onto the way of destruction. More than that, Jesus wants us to invite people onto that narrow way and to […]
What is your outlook on life? When you look into the future, do you see things getting better or worse? I’m not just asking about the power of positive thinking. The question isn’t whether the glass is half-empty or half-full right now. It’s more about what’s ahead. Is the water level rising or dropping in […]
You can feel the pandemic pain everywhere. So many lives have been lost. A myriad of businesses have been shuttered. The eyes of countless people peer over their masks in weariness and despair. Yet, we have seen God provide through it all. For many people the stimulus checks issued by our government have been a […]
Do you have enough courage to pray? That might sound strange to you. Usually we hear about praying to have courage, not having courage to pray. But I’m serious about the question. Do you have the courage to set aside your own control (or the perception of your own control) and surrender your way to […]
We live in a country divided, some would say, polarized. Polarization is when two opposing ideologies are established, each with their own mutually exclusive set of values. If either side takes a position on an issue, there’s a good chance the other side has taken the opposite stance. At its best, polarization allows us to […]
They call it “COVID Fatigue.” The diagnosis looks something like this: COVID Fatigue may or may not result directly from a diagnosis of COVID-19, but is likely much more widespread than the virus itself. COVID Fatigue occurs when a person reaches a breaking point with the persistently fluctuating flood of life changes because of the pandemic. […]
Back in February, our church did a Lent sermon series on the book of Job. It seems like a lifetime ago, but it was only a few months back. My recent vacation with my family reminded me of the theme verse of that series, Job 1:21. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away.Blessed be […]
