Let's start with gratitude. Being thankful and finding practical ways to express it are known to make our lives better — boosting mood, reducing stress, improving sleep, strengthening our connections with other people. And that's just for starters. The list of science-backed benefits is a long one.  But there's an ancient source

All he wanted was my sunglasses, a pair of $30 shades that I had purchased just a few weeks before. But I wasn't exactly on board with his request. I still had another week in the sun-drenched African country where he lived, and my sunglasses, which he was now wearing, having taken them right off my face, fit my misshapen head perfectly. Or so

I'm a hypocrite, and I'll admit it… I totally agree with Yogi Berra that “If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else.” It makes sense to me that you don't just accidentally become fit and healthy, or have great relationships, or know how to play piano. I don't just believe that intentionality is a big

At the start of 2017, I took a deep breath and sent a message out to ten people who have known me for at least ten years. While that may not sound like a big deal, the reason it required a deep breath is because I asked those ten people to tell me the first three words that come to mind when they think of me. At the time, it felt like a huge

I'll be the first to admit that it can be hard to have a nuanced conversation about generosity in a culture that measures almost everything, including God's blessing, in terms of material abundance. I know I've been guilty of thinking that the most generous among us are those who have accumulated vast amounts of wealth and are now making plans

Even though I've experienced God's miraculous intervention in my life on more than one occasion, I have yet to penetrate the mystery of divine power. I don't have it all figured out. And if I thought I did, I'd very likely be wrong. I believe God acts according to His will, and that He is able to heal. I affirm those truths because I have been

Because I believe so strongly in Jesus's power to heal, I'm going to take what feels like a risk and share a personal story with you. I do it only to bear witness to what I've experienced and to magnify the greatness of God. As a former pastor who has been at the bedside of many who were sick or dying, I realize that not all suffering, sickness,

If it hasn't been obvious in my last two posts, I love the story Mark's telling in the second chapter of his Gospel! As you read it, you can't take your eyes off of Jesus. He takes center stage. Sure, there are momentary “distractions” as the plot unfolds. The religious leaders are offended at Jesus's offer of forgiveness and

Last week we looked at the determined faith of the paralytic and his four friends. It's quite a story Mark tells in the second chapter of his Gospel, one that really gets us thinking about who God is and how God acts, especially when faith enters the picture. Some of the concepts and principles that emerge in Mark 2 are worth shining a