Jesus went into the wilderness to focus on time with his Father.  But what he got was an intruder who planted doubt and confusion. How many times have we, brimming with good spiritual intentions, tried to focus on what God wanted to say, only to hear the questioning, undermining voice of our worst enemy? Like Jesus, I look for quiet places where I reduce attention chaos. My isolated place isn’t a desert; it’s just my sofa in my upstairs office. Yet what is supposed to be a sa

Today we wear the ashes of our impotence and mortality. It is a day to remember who we are and who we are not. Today we bring our unedited selves to God so that we start this journey to the cross in the most honest way possible. I remember the first time I participated in an Ash Wednesday service. The reflective music, scripture, and words prepared me to receive the mark of the cross in ashes on my forehead. I felt branded, labeled, and unmasked. It was like someone had rippe

A slow, thoughtful, prayerful, heart-cleaning journey to Easter . . . is a spring cleaning for my heart.

After the Passover supper with his disciples, Jesus was full of tension that the disciples didn’t perceive.  It was just another night,...

God, the only authentic innovator who creates what couldn’t happen without His breath and power, offers us what we cannot find anywhere...

Journeys require signs to keep us going in the right direction.  Our discipleship journeys are no different.  We need signs to keep us...

If confession is good for the soul, why is there so little of it? Is it because we can’t stand to see ourselves in a bad way?  Do we...

When you are tempted, what do you learn about yourself? When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, he settled the trajectory of his life...

Do you want a deeper relationship with Jesus? Do you want to grow in measurable ways because of what Jesus teaches you?

Betrayal is a subtle visitor . . . until it isn’t. On the night that Jesus was betrayed, only Jesus saw the darkness lurking. He had...

A cloud overshadowed them and a voice from the cloud said . . . Listen to him. Mark 9:7, NLT When Jesus invited Peter, James, and John to...

From the beginning of time, from the moment you existed in your mother's womb, on every day since you were born, God has loved you with...

If . . . there it is, the 2-letter word that can come between us and God just like the tempter did in the Garden of Eden and tried to do...

Daniel prayed fervently, openly, daily, and specifically. He didn’t pray in protest or for show. But when he prayed, the heavens opened...

You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind. Exodus 20:4, NLT We shun the practice of bowing before sculptured idols. We know...

I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.  Job 42:6b, NLT While the world expresses love in extravagant ways on Valentine’s Day, we...

The blind man's response to Jesus question is leading me into Lent this year. You remember the story.  Jesus is on the outskirts of...

Jesus had just finished private conversations with his disciples about the tumultuous times they must endure. He used the story of the...

You know the stories of the the poor widow widow's gift and Mary's extravagant gift. We don't usually read them together because of...

What does it take to wake you up? What do you miss when you live in that twilight zone between sleepy and wakefulness? Jesus took Peter,...