“Presence is love because presence is sacrifice. When you show up somewhere, you’ve paid for it with your time. . . . Our connection to Jesus operates in the same way. If you want a life that feels connected to God and grounded in Christ, you’re going to have to show up. And showing up […]
“The secret to healthy vulnerability . . . doesn’t start with others. It has so much more to do with being safe with me. . . . It was only when my most honest opinion of myself was also an honoring opinion of myself that I could stand vulnerable . . . .without fear.”- Lysa […]
Our new names call us to a greater level of service, sacrifice, and faithfulness than our old names could handle. It will require faith to lean into our new name even before we fully see it and understand it. . . . Believe that God has a new name for you that is better than […]
Done With That (David C. Cook, 2019) Done With That: Escaping the Struggle of Your Old Life, is the third book written by Bob Merritt, senior pastor of Eagle Brook Church in the Twin Cities area. Above all, Pastor Merritt believes there’s power in saying I’m done with that! And saying that really involves the […]
“But God doesn’t call us to lives of fun or even comfort. These things aren’t bad, but they aren’t the endgame. Rather, God calls us to lives of sacrifice, of taking up our crosses daily, and of following Him. . . . Sacrifice is not always fun or entertaining, but it’s fulfilling. It’s purposeful.”- Bob […]
“My availability to God’s call to sacrifice — Abraham’s availability to God’s call to sacrifice, your availability to God’s call to sacrifice — is predicated on the understanding that God doesn’t need any more messiahs. He sent one. The job is finished. We are not needed. I am not needed. Ah, but I’m wanted (emphasis […]
“Every day when you encounter God . . . you face the choice of simply looking at Jesus or actually trying to see him (emphasis author’s).”- Jared C. Wilson As Jared Wilson continues Chapter 3 of The Imperfect Disciple, he advises not to “believe the portraits of Jesus you got in your sweet little Sunday […]
“Real love dares you to the really dangerous: die in the diminutive.”- Ann Voskamp “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”- 1 John 3:16 (NIV) As Ann Voskamp concludes Chapter 7 of The […]
“What if the deeply satisfying life was found in the givenness of sacrifice — to something of significance — through the spirit?”- Ann Voskamp As Ann Voskamp concludes Chapter 6 of The Broken Way, she stresses the futility of depending on circumstances. She notes: “No change in circumstances can change your life like meaning and […]
“Our generation desperately needs to rediscover the difference between praying for and praying through.”- Mark Batterson Mark Batterson begins Chapter 4 (“Praying Through”) of The Circle Maker with a discussion of a branch of history called counterfactual theory. Pastor Batterson notes that counterfactual theorists ask (1) what if questions and (2) what are key footnotes […]
“Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path and the birds came and devoured it.”- Mark 4:3-4 Today John Ortberg (Soul Keeping) begins his discussion of three types of souls. 1. The Hardened Soul. Not only is that path the place where farmers walk, but it […]