During the holiday season, many people wrestle with complicated feelings about relationships—absent, distant, antagonistic, or otherwise. Often, expectations (which we know can be a problem) simply don’t match reality. As always, Jesus helps. Sometimes His help comes in unexpected ways. Matthew 10 may not be very Christmassy, but it contains some of Jesus' clearest words on relationships I’ve returned to and shared again and again. Challenging our understanding of Christian l

Dig Deeper: “For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light.” — Mark 4:22 (NLT) Jesus never exposes anything to shame us. He brings things into the light so He can heal them.

How gracious of God to leave us stories that show who He is and how He operates—in spite of us. Scripture gives us instructive, encouraging, and even warning stories about Bible “heroes” who are a hot mess—jars of clay through which God’s mighty power is displayed. Have you ever wailed something like, “If you love me, God, why is this happening?!” Gideon had every reason to be discouraged when the angel of the Lord appeared, urging him to battle the invading forces. After all

Proverbs 31 is among the most quoted passages in Scripture, but its celebrity segment often upstages its powerful introduction. Most people associate Proverbs 31 with the idealized biblical wife described in verses 10–31. I have been, at turns, shamed, inspired, and affirmed by her standard. At first she seemed a lofty ideal I could never reach. Later she became a checklist for measuring progress. Eventually, more like her, I beamed at the affirmation that it was more than ok

My two sons are wonderful boys and I must say that by the grace of God and my overcompensating CPTSD parenting, I have not had much trouble with them. Even so, they are human (sinners) and there have been pesky behaviors that have required progressive discipline. For instance, Isaac went through a short spell in middle school when the testosterone started flowing and he was kind of handsy and a bit aggressive, though often accompanied by an easy, good natured smile. Exasperat

God has led me to read psalms 27, 37, 40, and 47 a lot in recent months, during a season when my more specific, lengthy prayers were running dry. The Lord really does work good through absolutely everything for those who love him and are called (Romans 8:28). Rereading Scripture is like a bottomless well of nourishment and encouragement, and these psalms certainly carry some common, timeless themes. Right now, I want to highlight the opening verse of Psalm 37, as we look abou

What does unity have to do with repentance? As it turns out, a whole lot. Repentance acknowledges that we all fall short of the glory of God and need the Savior to rescue us from ourselves. We humans like to “sin score,” attributing points for this sin or that—usually making our own sin seem less grievous or offensive. And while there are some sins God highlights as compromising community more than others (1 Corinthians 5:10–13; Revelation 2–3), the fact is we all need Jesus

✨ TOOLS & INSIGHTS: The Four Absolutes ✨ The Four Absolutes—Honesty, Purity, Unselfishness, Love—give us a simple way to hold our lives up to the light of Christ. Don’t get stuck on the word absolute. This isn’t about perfectionism or nit-picking every tiny mistake. It’s about clarity and repentance: bringing our motives, desires, and choices into the open before God so His Spirit can transform us. Sometimes we get hung up on this sin or that. Sometimes we catalog every small

10 Days of Awe TOOLS & INSIGHTS Judging gets a bad rap, but truth is, we all make judgments every day—sometimes life or death. It’s also a little hypocritical. Even in recovery, we say “stick with the winners” (a judgment!) while condemning judgment—even if it happens behind closed doors. WHAT JESUS REALLY SAID When Jesus said “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1, ESV), He wasn’t calling for moral free-for-all. He was calling for humility. 3 “And why worry about a

“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” (Ephesians 4:25, ESV) Brothers and sisters, please—let’s heed what God is saying here. There’s no way to make light of this. No Isabella wit to take the edge off. Forms of Falsehood Slander and reviling both appear on Paul’s short list of sins that warrant removal from Christian fellowship. And Jesus condemns hypocrisy and false teaching not only i

Forgiveness can feel impossible when the wound is deep. Yet Jesus gives us a framework that is both sobering and freeing. Forgiveness isn’t for the other person first—it’s for us. 1. Examine yourself before confronting another, coming in humility (Luke 17:3). 2. Talk privately first, aiming at reconciliation (Matthew 18:15). 3. If they repent, forgive—again and again (Matthew 18:22). 4. If they refuse, involve others or, in some cases, step away. It may even be obedience to

During these Days of Awe, as we self-reflect and repent of what God shows us (Steps 4–10), praying David’s Psalm 51 can help. Try praying it daily—or more. I love this prayer and the painfully instructive failings that inspired it. We want to learn from David’s experience and apply the wisdom he learned the hard way. David himself tells God, “Then I will teach your ways to sinners, and they will return to you”  (v. 13). There’s nothing more powerful than sharing our true stor

10 Days to Re/Turn Tonight at sunset marks Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and the beginning of the Ten Days of Awe—ten days of intensified reflection, repentance, and restitution leading up to Yom Kippur (October 1). These days were observed by Jesus, the early believers, and many faithful still today. Regardless, it’s always a good time for a holy housecleaning. " No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harves

Author Note: Here are the first four in a series of weekly Facebook posts on the topic of repentance, aka, Steps 4-10, started a month...

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Reading this 18 months later reminded me of the pebble I currently have sitting on my paper-strewn dining room table as a reminder while...

I’ve road-tested this truth and experienced first-hand both the positive results and negative consequences of my right and wrong beliefs....

Reputation is a dicey topic these days. More than ever before, reputations--either good or bad--can be a total myth, manufactured by...

Some of us can be positively paralyzed or tormented by mistakes we've made in the past, maybe even decades ago. Good golly, beloved,...