“You are a new creation, but sometimes it takes time for your new nature to become second nature.”- Mark Batterson As Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 3 of If, he offers encouragement that it is never too late for you to be what you might have been. God still can roll away your if only regrets. […]
“To see the law by Christ fulfilled And hear his pard’ning voice Transforms a slave into a child And duty into choice.”- William Cowper, Olney Hymns Timothy Keller concludes Chapter 5 of Prayer by discussing the ground motive 0f Spirit-directed, Christ-mediated prayer: to simply know Him better and enjoy His presence. Pastor Keller notes this […]
At noon the whole country was covered with darkness, which lasted for three hours. At about three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud shout, “Eli, Eli, lema, sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why did you abandon me?”- Matthew 27:45-46 (TEV) Max Lucado begins Chapter 19 (“Abandoned! God-Forsaken Places”) of Next Door Savior […]
And Jesus said,, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”- Luke 23:34 In Chapter 12 (“Defeatism- It’s Too Late Now”) of AHA, Kyle Idleman observes that “life can reach a point when it feels like things have gone too far.” Like Humpty Dumpty, there are too many broken pieces to put together […]
“Sin will always take you farther than you want to go. Sin will always cost you more than you want to pay. Sin will always keep you longer than you want to stay.”- Old saying In Chapter 8 “Minimize- It’s Not That Big of a Deal”) of AHA, Kyle Idleman states that minimization takes denial […]
Kyle Idleman begins Chapter 7 (“Projection- It’s Not My Fault, So It’s Not My Responsibility”) of AHA with the statement that our society has mastered the art of blaming others for our foolish choices. Hence these actual product warnings: 1. “Caution: Coffee May Be Hot” 2. “Warning: Remove infant before folding stroller for storage.” 3. Warning on […]
Today Kyle Idleman concludes Chapter 6 of AHA with the second and third tactics of denial. 2. Defend. Pastor Idleman asserts that defensiveness reveals an area of our lives where we are in denial because we don’t want to face the people and places that force us to be brutally honest. In fact, the author […]
In Chapter 6 (“Denial- If I Ignore It, Maybe It Will Go Away”) of AHA, Kyle Idleman references a recent news magazine show that featured a reporter, black light in hand, walking into hotel rooms to illuminate hidden germs and stains. When the black light revealed a suspiciously large carpet stain in one such room, […]
When he came to his senses, he said, “How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will go to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; […]
In Chapter 3 (“A Desperate Moment”) of AHA, Kyle Idleman discusses the subject of a rude awakening. He notes that one thing is certain about a rude awakening- it’s highly effective. You are sound asleep one moment and wide awake the next. Similarly, Pastor Idleman adds, the challenges and hardships of life also have a […]
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 […]
In their conclusion to Chapter 11 of Missing Jesus, Charles and Janet Morris emphasize that just as Jesus personally opened up the Scriptures to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, He personally will open them up to us. Both then and now, Jesus is the great truth-bearer, causing a realization in our hearts […]