I stood in the group of fourth to sixth graders, awkward in my pre-adolescence. It was Wednesday night and I was a part of an organized scout-type, faith-based children’s program at my church. We learned Bible verses, life skills, and participated in community and church projects. We started every Wednesday night by repeating our key verse: And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. Luke 2:52 The emphasis was growing like Jesus. We could lear

Why did we take this journey to the cross? For me it was for the honesty that the cross demands. Have you noticed how no one lied from the cross? Whatever was in the deepest part of their souls came out, curse or cry. On this journey to the cross, I’ve been to the wilderness where I sifted through the voices in my head that accuse and push to make me feel not enough. I stayed until I could hear the One True Voice that reminded me of my identity in Christ. I have faced the

Plants need roots. Shallow tendrils won’t hold. Plants need aggressive, tunneling fingers that go deep and wide to support and supply nourishment. We should learn our lessons from weeds with vast networking roots and deep-boring cores that make them hard to get rid of. The prayer that takes me to rooted growth is this one: Pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power . . . to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ . Ephesians

Change seems to undercut every well-placed, intentional, and sometimes automatic part of the routine that encourages growth. At least that’s what I’ve been finding out. Change uncovers dependencies I didn’t know I had. Since I know that honesty is a prerequisite for growth, I know that I could sabotage my growth this year if I'm not careful. Here are the danger points I want to avoid. 1. I could sabotage my growth by believing that growth is automatic. While I have been in