The top photograph is a tree in our yard that was infested with poison ivy. The tangled brown mass and most of the branches you see are dead poison ivy after I sprayed several times and went to the doctors’ to treat poison ivy rash eruptions all over my body. The tree was planted with care by people who came long before us. The poison ivy would have sprouted all by itself at the base of the tree soon after. And it was neglected and allowed to grow and infest and take over the tree—so much that half the trunk’s…
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What is the most stressed you’ve ever been? Did your whole body get tense? Did you scream? Did you eventually get sick? All human reactions to stress. Here’s one more: Did you sweat blood? As we are in the Easter season and the joy of the resurrection, we first think of Jesus’ pain on Good Friday. But it’s worth knowing that his greatest pain was not physical. And there were only two points when he lost his composure. The first was in the Garden of Gethsemane immediately prior to his arrest and crucifixion, where Jesus prayed intensely. So what…
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I started out living in Africa, then Minnesota, then Japan, then California, now Louisiana. And I have often asked myself, “Why am I here?” The answer that has consistently come is, “The same reason you’re anywhere on earth.” Jesus says in what we call the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven….” This is about praying down the reign and activity of God on earth. And God invites us to participate. More than anything else in life, I want to be part of God’s reign and activity that blesses people’s…
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One cold day by the ocean, I was seeking God’s direction, and I felt distinctly prompted to relinquish all the goals I had at the time. Ahhh!!! In their place—and I am convinced the Holy Spirit was doing this because it was so clear and against my will—I was to “do the Matthew 6:33 thing.” That reads: “Seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” So above everything else, I am—and we are—are to seek God’s heavenly reign as it comes to earth here and now. And we are…
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I predict that to a surprising degree, this new year will bring you a response to what you bring to it. You may or may not have made a New Year’s resolution, but they typically rely on willpower. And willpower is like a battery with a limited energy cycle—it needs to be frequently recharged. That’s what makes resolutions so vulnerable to failure. But if we use our willpower to form simple habits that we do every day, the habits pave the way to accomplish what might otherwise elude us. That’s where I encourage you to consider the annual growth commitment….
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