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Another holiday season has arrived with lights, glitter, and tinsel in tow. Joy and smiles dot the landscape as people search for the perfect gifts and attend parties and gatherings. Decorations go up, animosity goes down, and for a little while the world seems in harmony. What is it about the holidays that so many love? Throughout the year, other days of celebration are popular, but none of them come close to the popularity of Christmas. I think the holiday…

Connections. As humans, we crave connections and relationships. They help us become part of a community and build emotional ties, and strong bonds. They even help us find links to our past. In the song, Somewhere Out There, Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram lift the burden of their separation, singing, “Even though I know how very far apart we are, it helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star” (lyrics by James Horner). The stars that…

What brings joy? Babies. Puppies. Brown paper packages tied up with string. Our names written in heaven. When the disciples return after their limited commission of preaching the arrival of the kingdom, they are ecstatic at their power to cast out demons. Jesus saw this as the falling of Satanic power and the dominion of heaven was coming to the earth. Then Jesus says, “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that…

I remember the feelings of impending doom and responsibility as I entered the title company. In just a few short minutes I would begin filling out information, signing, and initialing hundreds of forms to buy my first home. Few decisions in my life required more commitment—marrying my wife, having children, and buying the jar of Serendipity Salt that crystallized in my spice cabinet. Fear, nausea, and the beginnings of carpal tunnel syndrome set in the closer I got to the…

It was 1947 and millions of refugees needed a home. They moved into an area inhabited by a peaceful diverse population. Instead of joining the existing population, the Sunni Muslims drove the Sikhs and Hindi out and formed the new nation of Pakistan. That same year, in the aftermath of WWII, Jewish refugees were seeking a homeland. The region of Palestine was home to a vast Arab population, but among them many Jews lived peacefully. The United Nations sought to…

Who robs a blind man? Who mocks someone who is bald? Who curses someone who is deaf? Who looks at someone in adversity and takes advantage of their limitations? It sounds like bullies on the playground, but God warned the children of Israel, “You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord” (Lev. 19:14). I read that and thought, “Why would someone do that?” People…

It was late one night when my wife was pregnant with our second child, and I couldn’t sleep. A looming sense of dread and fear settled over me. How could we afford a second child when we were barely making it as a family of three? I could taste the fear and it was bitter, but there was nothing I could do to change the circumstance—I had to change my response. Fear impedes progress, paralyzes action, and stymies thought. Everyone…

People looking for a relationship often go to hangouts, social events, and even clubs trying to meet other people. Sadly, most of those frequenting these places are not looking for a long-term commitment, thwarting the efforts of those who are. Other people look closer to home: school, church, and work. But here again, a lot of people cannot seem to find the right person. This is especially true for believers who are looking to marry someone of “like precious faith.”…

As the wearied Israelites neared the mountain, many were awed by its majesty. From the deserts through which they had wandered, the jagged peak of Sinai rose as a stony monument to how far they had come. Only three months into their flight from Egypt, the nation needed respite, and the shade of Sinai provided rest. However, her majesty quickly turned to terror when God spoke to the people in the midst of thunder and lightning, and a cloud of…

Attributed to King David, Psalm 31 is the prayer of the righteous sufferer. In the psalm, the worshiper pledges to trust in the Lord and find refuge in him (vv. 1-5). Then he gives thanks to the Lord for delivering him from the hand of the enemy (vv. 6-8). He admits his distress is a result of his sin but trusts in the graciousness of God to overcome his iniquity (vv. 9-10). The oppression of his neighbors weighs heavily on…

One of the most important themes in the New Testament is persecution—a terrifying concept, but one vital to the survival of the early church and beyond. It may be confidently said that persecution was as necessary to the spread of the gospel as preaching was. Jesus warned his disciples, “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you” (Luke 6:26). Again, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you…therefore the world hates…

Dying from exhaustion, he fell before a stunned audience whispering only one word—the last he ever spoke. What message was so important that hills and valleys couldn’t deter Pheidippides that day in 490 BC.? Why did he wear himself out on the 26-mile road from Marathon to Athens? What one word was sacred enough, vital enough, and glorious enough to claim his life? “Victory.” The mythic legend of Pheidippides inspired the modern marathon, but his message inspires the soul. Victory…