Defiant Joy
When someone holds on to joy in spite of everything, I call that “defiant joy.” A person with defiant joy refuses to be squelched by negative...
13
Jan
12
Jan
Use Every Hardship
Everything you face in your life and overcome with God’s strength today prepares you for what crosses your path tomorrow. No matter what your disappointment...
11
Jan
Living From the Inside Out
Fruit grows quietly. It forms slowly. No one stands in an orchard and shouts at an apple tree to hurry up. Growth comes through roots...
10
Jan
Go After the Lions
Calm and matter-of-fact, the shepherd boy David described his experiences with wild animals in the wilderness: “When a lion or a bear came and carried...
9
Jan
Think Before You Speak
Know anyone with “rough edges”? Maybe that describes you. Perhaps you have been told that you sometimes come across a little harsh, a little impatient...
8
Jan
Bear More Fruit
A careful owner of a vineyard watches with great attention for signs of budding fruit. He has spent months tilling, fertilizing, pruning, watering...
29
Dec
I Have Resolved
The New Year is upon us, and people are already making resolutions. You commit to, stick your chest out, hold in your belt, and resolve to…
24
Dec
Christmas in the Stable
I leaned on my elbow looking out the farmhouse window while my mother and sisters cooked food and set the table for Christmas Eve dinner...
22
Dec
Jesus Fully Human
Here’s a good verse for Christmas: Colossians 2:9 says, “In Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.” Really? Could this child we celebrate...
21
Dec
At the Breast of the Lord
Ah, a child’s life, wrapped in a warm blanket, sleeping peacefully in his mother’s arms, with hardly a care in the world. Worries aren’t his...
