I remember reading a G.K. Chesterton quote: ‘Every man who ever entered a brothel went there looking for God.’ His point is, we’re looking in vain for something to satisfy this terrible hunger in us, and so often we go looking in the wrong places. Well, to borrow Chesterton’s idea, […]
The Nines was a one-day event held on 09/09/09. Leadership Network asked over 75 leaders, “If you had just nine minutes to share with church leaders, what would you tell them?” In the spirit of being helpful, I want to direct your attention to a resource that is quite handy. […]
I have to let you in on a little secret. I love blogging. I love reviewing books. I love watching videos on YouTube. I love getting comments. I love it when things that I’ve subconsciously been thinking about spill onto the page. I love feeling listened to. I love getting […]
What if the life that we pursue Came from a hunger for the truth? What if the family turned to Jesus Stopped asking Oprah what to do? – Casting Crowns Reading this book, I was immediately struck with a sense of guilt. At one point, Dave and I were housemates. […]
…The thing about it is, though, gifts is free. When you give a person a gift, you is also givin that person the freedom to do whatever they want with it. When you give a homeless man a dollar, you ain’t sayin, “Here. Go buy yourself a chicken.” If you […]
Don’t ask yourself what the world needs – ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. – Howard Thurman First off, this book is for women. Secondly, I am a man. So, if you’re scoring […]
Another story about death bringing life: The Sunflower Boy’s Smile I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. – John 12:24
I was flipping through the channels today and was mesmerized by Time Life’s Romancing the 70’s infomercial. 138 classics from the top easy listening artists of the decade all digitally remastered for superior audio quality. But wait! There’s more! If you call within 9 minutes, they throw in a bonus […]
God is at home. We are in the Far Country. – Meister Eckhart Psalm 137 begins as the exiled Israelites are demanded to sing songs of joy by their captors. The Israelites refuse. They hang their harps on trees and ask: How can we sing the songs of the LORD […]
She is more capable than most in this village. And she is led by love. The world moves for love. It kneels before it in awe. – Edward Walker, The Village
Is God stern and angry, or warm and kind? In a sense, He is both. He is a father who delights in His child, so He therefore disciplines His child with a rebuke (Proverbs 3:11-12). Another contemporary image is the oncologist. He is a cancer specialist who will do anything to destroy that which destroys. He will surgically cut away flesh; He will burn out cells through radiation; and He will poison them with chemotherapy. The treatment is, at times, brutal and appears cruel, but the result is profoundly life-changing and lovely. Discipline, though it often feels like a judgment that exiles and abandons us, is a labor of love that beautifies the heart through the disruptive touch of a severe mercy.
– Dan Allender, Bold Love
