Have you seen the blurb about hurting people who need encouragement, and how we should create an “intention avalanche” and “send positive thoughts” their way? It’s absolutely true we all need encouragement -- but I’m pretty sure I’m not able to pick up thoughts others may “send” my way. (I’m not good at mind-reading.) Nor do I wish to depend on the power of human intentions, however good they may be. Why? Using the “power of intention” and “positive thoughts” as a remedy for difficulty or despair means placing our faith in people instead of in God. It’s contrary to what we see Continue Reading
How to Have a Meaningful Thanksgiving
Ah, the aroma of roast turkey wafting from the kitchen, the gathering of family to feast together … Thanksgiving, the time when hopefully we give thanks for all the good gifts we have received. Sometimes people talk about being thankful, but without any mention of God. They may feel a vague sense of gratefulness, a generic gratitude for the good things in their life… but to whom? To a force? To circumstance? To the man on the moon? It doesn’t really make sense to be thankful if there is no object for your thankfulness. Imagine you purchase a nice gift to give me on my birthday and you Continue Reading
God Doesn’t Like Platitudes
Have you ever risked sharing your pain with another person, hoping for a listening ear – and gotten an earful of unsolicited advice instead? Have you ever gone through a tough time, only to have a well-meaning Christian quote, All things work together for good? It’s pretty obnoxious, and downright unbiblical, the way we tend to respond to the suffering of others. For some reason, we consider it our duty to fix things, to explain what God is up to, and to make sure we put a smile back on our friend’s face. Is this how God tells us to treat those who are suffering? The writer of Continue Reading
God Wants Friends, Not Just Servants
Have you ever found yourself hesitating to quiet down and listen to God, because you are afraid of what you might hear? If God really speaks to me, he’ll probably send me to deepest, darkest Africa, or at least he’ll tell me I can’t drink coffee anymore. Why do we do this? Why do we assume that our Heavenly Father is only interested in giving us hard assignments or forbidding us pleasure? God called Abraham his friend. He referred to Moses the same way. After they had followed him for a while, Jesus told his disciples, “I no longer call you servants, but friends.” The whole point of Continue Reading