Both-And We don’t know what to do; but our eyes are on you. 2 Chronicles 20:12 ialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a cognitive-behavioral treatment developed in the 1980’s to treat people who experience extremely intense, negative emotion....
Peace
Family Life Weekend
ASL InterpretationHow do we build for the future when the future seems so uncertain? This week, we'll turn to Acts 2 to see how the early church began as a model for how we can continue to build the future of the Church together. As we follow their lead, we not only...
What Remains True
What Remains True We don't know what to do, but our eyes are on You. 2 Chronicles 20:12 t's 8:54 am and here I sit in my pj's on a Thursday morning. Half of my house is still asleep. I have my date book in front of me with everything cancelled or...
One Last Thing
Last words are important words. Books have been written and lists compiled about the last things that famous and influential people have said. This week in our study of 2 Timothy, the Apostle Paul will write his last and most important words to Timothy, his protégé....
What Are You Thinking?
What Are You Thinking?Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Phillipians...
Live as One Approved by God
Approval is something we all long for, especially from the people who matter most to us. There is something deep inside of us that craves knowing that others are pleased with what we do and who we are. Approval gives us a sense of meaning and significance in the...
The Strength to Live for God
Our lives are better when we believe in Jesus and when someone else believes in us. We need to know we’re not alone. We have a valuable contribution to make as we remember the gospel and share it with others. And we don’t have to be afraid. We can know we’re empowered...
Shalom
Peace. We sing songs about it. We march for it. Demonstrate for it. Hold conferences about it and create think tanks to create it. We long for it. But it remains elusive. We live in a world broken by war, poverty, hatred, and illness, making peace seem impossible. Yet...
The Greatest Story Ever Told
From our earliest days, we’re captivated by stories. God has written the greatest story ever told. And this story even includes you. Born separated from God, every person needs to be rescued. God, in His love and grace, offers a free gift to all—a solution to our...
Dashboard Lights
Dashboard Lights For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. Psalms 107:9 y son ran out of gas this week. As a new driver, he forgot the importance of paying attention to the warning lights on the dashboard. We...
Thankful Now
Around this time of year, it may be easier for us to have thankfulness on our minds. But do we regularly give thanks throughout the year? What about when things don’t go our way? It seems like we wait to really give thanks until certain things happen the way we want...
The Power of Habits
There is no shortage of resources claiming to help us live full lives. Yet, despite the easy access of self-help information, how many of us would honestly describe our lives as full? Why doesn’t information automatically translate into transformation? This weekend,...
Shipwreck
We often think we know where we are heading and even how we’re going to get there. God often has other ideas. Sometimes He allows us to go through storms that threaten to batter and break us. At such times surrender to a God who would allow such storms seems like the...
The Path To Joy
At some point in our lives, we are all going to experience negative emotions. That’s right. Suffering will come. And the emotions associated with suffering…guilt, shame, sadness, despair, anger…they will follow. What we do with these emotions says a lot about our...
What’s Below the Surface?
So much of your energy may be spent maintaining your life on the surface—your physical needs, your appearance, your life experienced through your five senses. But there’s a world that lies below the surface of your life too—a part of you that can often get ignored or...
Living at Peace
Living at PeaceIf it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18 (ESV)We coined a phrase in our home this holiday season. Anytime one of us was a bit snippy or a little too grumpy, we would say, "Peace on earth!" It became a...
Chased by the Monster of More
You can always count on Jesus to talk about real life kinds of things. That’s why He addresses the possibility that you might feel unsatisfied—always wanting more and more. Like all the challenges Jesus highlights in the Sermon on the Mount, greed reveals a heart...
Kill ‘Em With Kindness
We live in a world that tells us that if we get hit, we’ve got to hit back harder. That it’s okay to be disrespectful if we’ve been disrespected. That somehow the right response is to fight fire with fire, return insult for insult, and hurt those who have hurt us. And...
Method to the Madness
In the sermon on the mount, Jesus teaches us how to live a life that is characterized by love, hope and peace. But in order to live that kind of life, we have to identify and deal with the challenges in our lives. Sometimes that is difficult because, if we’re honest,...
Peace on Earth
Peace on EarthAnd He shall be their peace. Micah 5:5a (ESV)T his week my advent reading led me to the book of Micah, prophet to the people of Israel and Judah. It's not exactly a feel-good book. Micah's job was to warn people that their sins were great and judgment...