7 Keys to a Life-Giving Christmas
Christmas is the celebration of Life Himself entering the world to overcome the death and decay that surround us. So it only makes sense that Christmas should be life-giving, not soul-killing. The rest of the year might have dragged you through the mud, but you can still use your Christmas to seek restoration and wholeness. Here are seven ideas on how.
Not Abandoned
Jesus doesn't abandon His disciples. His grace heals us again and again when we fail to follow Him. Wherever you’ve been, whatever you’ve done, Jesus has grace that’s strong enough to heal you. His inexhaustible grace is bigger than your guilt and shame.
You Take Me as I Am: Insecurity, My Boring Story, and Coming to Grips with Grace
How could I think that my prideful, selfish, unloving heart being raised to new life is anything less than supernatural? How could I want more drama than that? How could I want a more spectacular demonstration of power than that?
March 6-12: Praying with Jesus for Forgiveness
We're continuing through the Lord's Prayer this week with the next request in Jesus' prayer, "...and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors."
Jesus as a Voodoo Doll: How His Self-Transformation Affects Us
Over and over, I'm tempted to run from Jesus. Sure He's forgiving. Sure He's merciful. Sure He died for my sins. But I'm tempted to run from Him because I forget that it's in Him that all my transformation takes place. I forget that I don't have to clean myself up before coming back to Him. I forget that He's the one that cleans me up by cleaning Himself up even when He didn't need cleaning up.
I Was Made for You: The Story, Singleness, the Church, and a Love Letter to Those Who Really Love Me
As someone who believes strongly in the value of being real, of confessing, of knowing and being known, I live a life torn in two directions. As desperate as I am to be known, I think the vast majority of people around me see the smile on my mouth and call me blessed. What they don’t realize is that I have so much to say that doesn’t come out. They don’t realize I’m a messed up head-case who’s insecure and needy and impatient and selfish—but as much as I want them all to know that and accept me and love me, the reality is that I don’t trust that they’d really accept me if they knew the real me. I can barely get people to like the projected me, so what hope is there that they’ll accept the whole, unfiltered me behind the projected me?