In The Peace God Promises, Ann Spangler notes that to truly experience the peace of God in our lives, it’s essential to honestly examine the many stories and experiences that define who we are as well as our responses to the people and events around us. She continues by explaining why: “Because these narratives are […]
In what ways would you complete this sentence: “I could have the peace I long for if only. . .”? In her book The Peace God Promises, author Ann Spangler reflects on that concept: ” Each of us can come up with our list of ‘if onlys’- of the things or the people who make […]
The Calling (Concordia Publishing House, 2010) Author Kurt Senske divides his book, which combines Biblical wisdom with secular strategies, into 3 major parts and a short concluding section. He sets the stage in Part 1 by defining significance as that which must flow from our Christian faith, involves the need to discern the role God […]
In his book The Calling; Live a Life of Significance, Dr. Kurt Senske has this thought on responding to life’s challenges: “When we suffer the loss of someone or something we love, we also lose a part of ourselves. It is a time of great vulnerability. We might rage against God, blame others, feel entitled, […]
In his book Know Doubt, John Ortberg states that the evidence of lives changed by Jesus is so abundant that it can’t be matched by any other religion, culture, or world view. To prove his point, he offers this telling comment that he’s never heard anyone actually say: “One day I realized there was no […]
Nicholas Wolterstorff (cited by John Ortberg in Know Doubt), American philosopher and Professor of Philosophical Theology at Yale University, defined faith with this simile: “Faith is a footbridge that you don’t know will hold you up over the chasm until you’re forced to walk out onto it.” Sooner or later, all the Christian education you’ve […]
In The Joyful Christian, C.S. Lewis (cited by Brian Jones in Second Guessing God) had this to say about the necessity of faith: “. . .Faith is such a necessary virtue: unless you teach your moods ‘where they get off’, you can never be either a sound Christian or even a sound atheist, but just […]
In his wonderful book The Land Between, Jeff Manion talks about persevering during our time of transformational growth: “The knowledge and depth of character Joseph gained on his detour is rarely the outcome of reading an inspirational book. That kind of character has to be forged.” Only a time of significant trial produces produces maturity and completeness: […]
Are you content with your current status in your journey toward healing and ministry revision, or do you struggle with discontent? Do you focus on the particular ministry you lost or are you seeking ministry opportunities wherever God has placed you at the present moment? Albert Schweittzer (cited by Kurt Senske in The Calling) one […]
In my cable channel-surfing, I occasionally look in on one of the many poker shows on in the late evening. I’ve noticed that a frequent player move is to go “all in”, having reached the point of no return. It’s all or nothing. Has the Lord brought you to that point in your Christian walk? Medieval German theologian, philosopher, […]
In our pursuit of worldly goals and ambitions, God can easily be pushed aside. In Matthew 6:21, Jesus warns; “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” It may take a major life crisis for us to realize how much our priorities are skewed. Episcopal priest and author Barbara Cawthorne Crafton (cited by Kurt Senske […]
Cardinal Emmanuel Suhard, Archbishop of Paris from 1940-1949-which included the time of the Nazi occupation during World War II, had this comment about how one truly gives witness to his/her Christian faith: “To be a witness does not consist in engaging propaganda, not even in stirring people up, but in being a living mystery. It […]