The late afternoon sky filled with billowing smoke as the spreading grass fire gobbled its way across the canyon wall, blackening the hillside. Watching from across the valley, I thought of the warning in James chapter 3 about our words. “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness … staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell … no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” Wow, that seems harsh. Are we really that out of control Continue Reading
How Knowing Your Weakness Strengthens You
There’s an old tale about a boy whose mother was looking for him. Willy, where are you? she calls. In the pantry, comes the muffled reply. What are you doing in there? she asks. Willy answers, Fighting temptation. Every sin begins with temptation. The more we can avoid temptation, the more sin we can steer clear of. You may consider yourself immune to obvious wrong-doing like robbing a bank, or cheating on your spouse, or selling drugs – yet you can still be dangerously oblivious to your weaknesses. It's the subtle temptations that can sneak up and blindside you. The enemy knows Continue Reading
One Thing You Need For Wholeness
Ever get to the end of a day feeling empty, despite all the stuff you’ve checked off your to-do list? Ever wonder if you are pursuing accomplishment, productiveness, and efficiency at the cost of feeling truly alive? If you feel more like a machine than a human being, maybe it's time for you to find your way back. We live in an era of unprecedented industrial conveniences and technological advances, yet these do not come without a cost. Our lives are more of a high-speed blur than ever. The tools we invented in order to free ourselves from labor have become our masters. Just try Continue Reading
This Could Transform Your Relationships
It was once part of common courtesy, but nowadays we are too distracted by a million responsibilities, too casual in our interactions to realize we often ignore this most important thing. We fail to see the people we love. By “see,” I don’t just mean having our eyeballs briefly register that someone is present. I mean “see” as Native American and other indigenous cultures mean it. As in, focusing intentionally on the person-hood of another. Remember the scene in Dances with Wolves where the warrior shouts his heartfelt goodbye to the white man he has come to know and trust? I see Continue Reading