Discipline, Discipline, Discipline

Discipline, Discipline, Discipline

A 2007 study showed that 88 percent of people who set New Year’s resolutions failed, although 52 percent of the study’s participants were confident of success at the beginning.1 If you are tired of trying to renew your mind and get closer to God only to fail in the...
Beginning with God

Beginning with God

One of the ways I got around sabbath-keeping for so long is that I dismissed it as “a Jewish thing” that had very little to do with me. It was certainly a nice idea, but I wasn’t convinced it was something important from God for me. I am not alone in this; it seems...
Guided By My Shepherd

Guided By My Shepherd

I will fear no evil, for you are with me. (Psalm 23:4) Psalm 23 is a good word for every stage of our lives. In it, David reminds us that “he guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3). My Good Shepherd has it in his heart to guide me along the...
Teaching Your Teenager to Ask Questions

Teaching Your Teenager to Ask Questions

Success in life is greatly impacted by how we relate to people. If teenagers do not learn positive social skills at home, where will they learn them? The reality is that many adults lose jobs, marriages, and mental health because they never learned how to relate to...
Abiding Dependence: The Central Work of Jesus

Abiding Dependence: The Central Work of Jesus

The central work of Jesus as He lived His daily life was to rest in and to stay with the Father. Jesus held to an attitude of reliance, of abiding, the Father in the Son and the Son in the Father; He breathed, lived, spoke, and moved as one with His Father.  Jesus had...
Recapturing Your Calling

Recapturing Your Calling

One obstacle that every leader confronts is discouragement. I’ve often heard something like this: “Jim, can I tell you something? I’m feeling defeated. I find myself in front of the church preaching, putting on a happy face, but inside I’m discouraged, worn down,...
Bad Motives for Productivity

Bad Motives for Productivity

I love motivational posters. You know the ones; there’s a photograph of a mountain or an eagle above a single word like “Teamwork” or “Discipline.” I find these posters humorous because they’re usually found in spaces that are completely incongruous with the scenes...
When God’s Plan Doesn’t Make Sense

When God’s Plan Doesn’t Make Sense

It’s almost anniversary time again. I call it the death-i-versary. The date on the calendar prompts me to take notice of the reality of the fatal crash. A reminder of the motorcycle accident that ushered my husband of 28 years into heaven. Saying goodbye to a loved...