Being a disciple of Jesus is a life-long journey of deepening intimacy with God. Strengthen your personal journey through these reflections and practices.
I realized that I was not just the sum of my parts and the gifts I carried—or the faults and failures. And I felt God pull my eyes in a different direction—away from me and toward him.
Surely addiction would never be a part of my story. Yet, it has been. Not the easy-to-identify type of addiction, though. One far more masked. An addiction in church clothes.
Comparison teaches us to measure our worth by earthly standards rather than embracing the identity we already possess in Christ. Ultimately, comparison reveals a deep insecurity, a belief that what God has provided isn't quite enough.
Few truths are more life-changing than knowing who you are and whose you are. We see the power of knowing your identity demonstrated in the ministry of Jesus, and the same secure foundation is available to each of us.
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.
All people. I've told God many times in my life, I'm available to all people, whoever, wherever. But that’s actually me filtering out the uncomfortable reality of what my heart sometimes says: I’m available to people who are like me, who are easy, who have a similar personality type, political persuasion, economic position, or at least people who are open and ready!
I am challenged by the radical faith of the leaders around me as they labor to make Jesus known “amongst all people” in some of Nairobi’s poorest and most vulnerable communities.
It was dark, cold, and rainy. Not a typical evening in Southern California. As my family and I left the restaurant, we couldn’t help but notice the slumped-over body uncomfortably lying behind the nearby pillar. All of us were moved to compassion. The others headed to the car while I slowly walked around the pillar to meet the person lying there on the hard concrete, and found a shivering homeless woman with bare, swollen, dirty feet.
Today I’d like to invite you to “sit” with me on Mars Hill; in Greek it’s called the Areopagus. The photo I’ve included is taken from this spot. It’s one of my favorite places to go and pray for the city of Athens, where I live.
I grew up in a world where children's relationships with God were not as important as the adults in the community. Churches were filled with the elderly, and it was up to the children to either join them or not. My choice was to not. There was nothing I could relate to inside the church. It was the most boring place, since the main focus was on the adults.
