Practicing His Presence

Colleen decided to take a stroll down the beach on our recent vacation to the Jersey Shore. Just a little quiet time for her to reflect on God’s goodness and enjoy the surf and the sun. I, on the other hand, slid out of my beach chair and casually headed to the gently breaking waves right in front of me. As I studied the ebb and flow of the current and tumbling tiny stones in the sand, I noticed something. But in a moment, it was gone. I asked the Lord, which I&rsquo…

Just over a week ago, we experienced one of the most significant losses in our married lives together. Our best friend, confidant, playmate, and furry comforter left this world suddenly. Tucker, our Golden Retriever was wagging his tail in the morning and gone by late afternoon. Colleen sensed it was coming but it didn’t make it any easier. Tears were flowing in our home for days. Our four-legged friend was family - the best of the best. Always up for ball tosses,,…

Spiritual discernment is the ability to see things from the Lord’s viewpoint. That means being able not only to separate truth from error but also to grasp the finer distinction between what is good and what is best. But how can we acquire such a skill? In his classic work My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers gives us the answer. He writes, “Put everything in your life afloat upon God, going out to sea on the great swelling tide of His purpose, and your…

I was reading an article written by an acquaintance of mine. He makes a great point. God-given creativity doesn’t rely on past formulas or man-made rules. Yet there’s something in us that wants consistent, guaranteed results. And if there’s a proven shortcut that promises to get us there even faster, all the better. Except that’s not how God designed the process to work. I find myself looking for shortcuts to results that can only come over time.…

Have you ever fallen asleep on a long trip? Jesus did. Luke tells us that one time Jesus and the disciples got on a boat to reach the other side of a lake, and Jesus fell asleep. The next thing the disciples knew, they were engulfed in a storm, and the one person powerful enough to protect them was blissfully unaware. The disciples panicked and woke Him. Jesus has promised to give us His peace (John 14:27)—this is the very same peace that enabled Him to sleep through…

When I hear the word, retreat, it conjures up a negative connotation. It feels like surrendering or reversing course due to some error in judgment. Webster’s first way of defining retreat is an act or process of withdrawing especially from what is difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable. You see, doesn’t that seem a little cowardly? If you read further into Webster’s explanation of what it means to retreat, you’ll find this: a period of group…

Listen Some of the most important decisions in life are made at an early age. Should I go to college, head into the workforce, or beg for more time under my parents’ roof? Which college or trade school will I attend? What will be my major or vocation? Then there’s the nebulous question of my life’s calling and purpose. Oh, and who should I marry and when, if ever? I don’t know about you, but I made a few of those decisions without consulting my,…

Listen When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 32:1 NLT) So, what’s wrong with this picture? Moses is meeting with God; Joshua is part way up Mt. Sinai and the rest of the Israelites are left in Aaron’s…

Listen You don't need to travel far to find beauty. God has strewn beauty across the globe in such generous portions we have only to stop and notice, paying particular attention to the intimate. Yes, epic beauty is worth traveling to see–the Himalaya, the Maasai Mara, Yosemite, any tropic island. But intimate beauty is just as healing, perhaps more so, and available everywhere. (I shared the St. Albans story to remind my urban readers beauty can be found even in,…