It's so easy to live a life that revolves solely around a single agenda: our own. Everything in the surrounding culture encourages us to create the life that we want, to see the fulfillment of our own goals as the ultimate prize, to stand apart from the crowd by being truly selfish. Read More

Sometimes the days become war. They blindside us with unrelenting blows from the mundane corners of everyday life. There is too much to do, too many fronts to defend, too many fires to put out. So what deceives us into traveling the days as though we have strength enough to be the savior of our own lives? Do we conclude (quietly, secretly, where even our own thoughts can barely hear) that since God is doing nothing, then we must somehow make a way for ourselves? Read More

What is peace, really? Some would argue it is the assurance we feel over our lives. But if Christ came to give us peace in that sense, why do we fear for our lives, health, finances and security? Read More

Fasting and prayer are often mentioned together in the Bible. Prayer takes on new meaning when you're weak enough that you sometimes feel the wind might blow you over. It is a physical manifestation of a spiritual reality: We are husks of nothingness without God.

While I was fasting, the lines between spiritual and physical realities blurred. The Hebrew word that's translated "soul" in the Old Testament actually means "breath." The ancient Israelites didn't have the distinction between mind and matter (or spirit and body) that we do today. We got that from Greek philosophy. Read More

I think sometimes we as Christians think we have a God stamp and we can go around stamping His name on whatever we want. As if we have the ability to just stamp God's name here or there and force His hand to move in whatever situation. Sometimes we are set in our ways, but out of duty we come before God and ask Him to place His stamp of approval on the decisions we have made. Other times we just do the stamping ourselves and forget God all together. Read More