“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”- James 4:8 John Ortberg continues Chapter 8 of Soul Keeping by reminding us that the Greek word dipsuchos often is translated “double-minded.” However, we also can think of dipsuchos as meaning double-souled, split-souled, […]
As Timothy Keller concludes Chapter 15 of Prayer, he poses four questions to help us evaluate our situation with regard to prayer. Pastor Keller asks us to imagine that our soul is in a boat, a boat with both oars and a sail. 1. Are you “sailing”? If your are sailing, you are living the […]
But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”- Matthew 14:26-27 In Chapter 17 (“God Gets Into Things- Stormy Places”) of Next Door […]
“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.’- Luke 4:1-2 Max Lucado begins Chapter 16 (“The Long, Lonely Winter- Wilderness Places”) of Next Door Savior with this description of the wilderness of the soul: […]
In Chapter 11 (“Procrastination- I’ll Get Back to It Later”) of AHA, Kyle Idleman notes that if we tell ourselves “I’ll get to it later” often enough, the urgency to act evaporates and our procrastination has consequences. The Prodigal Son’s action, by contrast, was immediate. Pastor Idleman states that it is best to understand Luke […]
Kyle Idleman concludes Chapter 1 of AHA by sharing his discovery that many travelers are driven to the Distant Country because they are running away from a god that doesn’t exist. They are rejecting a god of their own creation rather than trusting the true God who created them. The choice is created god or […]
“You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.”-Isaiah 25:4 “Sometimes God brings His greatest rains with a storm. Sometimes God brings His greatest blessings with your difficulty.”- Alisa Hope Wagner The date- Friday, April 21, 1967. […]