Meeting God in the Harmonies
Often the things we dislike in others are the very things we'd like to change about ourselves. But it's easier to concentrate on what others should change than what we should.
Often the things we dislike in others are the very things we'd like to change about ourselves. But it's easier to concentrate on what others should change than what we should.
Part of what makes stories so effective as teaching tools is their ability to stick with us. But what gives the best stories staying power?
Being compassionate or not is all about what you look at and see. The fact that we don't like seeing pain makes compassion difficult, but compassion only occurs in the context of another's pain.
Like potatoes in a pressure cooker, we 21st-century creatures understand the meaning of stress. A week doesn’t pass without a few skirmishes with those “extrinsic agents” that beat upon our fragile frames.
The enemy of our souls wants us to live in a noisy state of distraction from things that give us meaning and purpose.
So badly I want to be someone who holds her earthly possessions with a loose grip. But with my monetary predisposition to saving and preparing for the future…how do I learn this?
The parable of the farmer scattering seed found in Matthew 13 teaches Christians the importance of growing deep. If you’ve ever faced tough times in your faith life then you understand the importance of having a personal relationship with Christ.
Visiting the sphinx and the pyramids fulfilled a dream. But my most significant Egyptian discovery was to see fear as something to be dealt with, and replaced with faith—faith in others and faith in Christ.
What I saw missing from my ministry was balance. While it was important for me to be there when someone needed me, it was also important for me to spend time alone with God because I needed Him.
God is more concerned about our hearts and our being, more than He is about our doing—who we are as opposed to what we do. That sounds pretty radical.