Why Do We Expect World Peace From Miss America, But Not Jesus?
World Peace is one of just two easy answers in life. It’s the correct response when a pageant contestant is asked what she would most want to see happen during her lifetime. This response is the mocked canned answer made famous in the movie Miss Congeniality. The...
Understanding and Responding to the Stirring Ache of a Restless Spirit
Several times in life, I’ve diagnosed myself as having a restless spirit. I’ve often thought it indicative of a compulsion to do something creative. Other times, I’ve felt it as an awareness that mighty life changes are afoot. Sometimes, I’ve found...
When Developing Character, Seek to Be a “Faithful Man to be Found”
At its core, the Year of Listening Up is about developing character. It’s an annual project that’s an outgrowth of a book I wrote for my daughters, largely centered on the same ambition. Since Edwards made developing character a primary goal of his life, it made great...
Intentionally Seeking Your Personal Discipleship in Christ
I’ve gained a new understanding of personal discipleship with Christ over the last year or so. Maybe not so much new as it is better, deeper, or more refined. On a basic level, personal discipleship is simply learning to be more like Christ. A simple concept, yes, but...
Have Prayerful Confidence that God Works in You and in the World
When it comes to prayerful confidence, most think in the context of God’s willingness to answer. However, we must keep mindful of our own actions and intentions. To that end, I can’t count the times I’ve failed to make a prayer I told someone I would. Or the times...
What’s The Point of Studying Scripture? Can’t I Just be Spiritual?
When it comes to studying Scripture, you get out of it what you put into it. Jonathan Edwards clearly put much more into it than most could ever aspire. That should not dissuade us common folk, though. Our only real competition is ourselves. When running the race to...
Heavenly Reward and Our Greater Capacities for Happiness
We often speak of a heavenly reward. It’s usually said in relation to the phrase “you can’t take it with you.” The “it” in this case is all the stuff we acquire in life. Our homes, cars, clothes, gadgets, toys… even our money. This stuff is stuff we...
Why We Must Strive for a Healthy Perspective of Shame
I don’t know how it goes in other countries, but the U.S. culture certainly has an interesting relationship with the concept of shame. On the one hand, it seems that nobody has any shame. In addition, people are constantly thrusting themselves into attention seeking...
The Reality of Spiritual Warfare and The Battle for Your Heart
Spiritual warfare. It’s a term that conjures all sorts of visual representations. And it probably varies greatly by culture. I can’t claim to be all that knowledgeable about it, and I have kept my life mostly ignorant of the concept. I like to live in my little bubble...
The Torments of Hell and Can I Really Feel Your Personal Pain?
It’s unnatural to really feel the personal pain of someone else. You can sympathize, but really feeling the suffrage of another isn’t something we intuitively do. And why does it matter anyway? Well, for starters, it’s a way we can keep our own personal pain in...