The Daily Memo

All of us have experienced trial and pain. All of us are living life wounded and scarred. We learn to deal with our wounds and press forward, but whether we acknowledge it or not, wounds and scars change us. There are no perfect parents. There are no perfect friends. There are no perfect siblings or spouses. We live in an imperfect world with imperfect humans. We lash out and hurt others because we are broken and in need of healing. One of the most critical spiritual…

The Jesus movement was an evangelical Christian movement beginning on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s and spreading primarily throughout North America, Europe, and Central America. Members of the movement were called Jesus people or Jesus freaks. Some of the fastest-growing US denominations of the late 20th century, such as Calvary Chapel, Hope Chapel Churches, and the Vineyard Churches,…

Do you ever look at your circumstances and see no possible way the Lord could bring something good from them? What benefit could come from illness, unemployment, a broken family, or other difficulties? While we can’t always understand what God is doing, there is one thing we can do—trust Him to use our situation for His own glorious purposes. Although Paul’s imprisonment may have seemed like the end of his ministry opportunities, God actually used it to…

I was a youngster entering my second decade on the planet when this Beatles classic was first released. During a time of extreme unrest in the country, “All You Need is Love” was adopted as the unofficial anthem of the Flower Power Movement.  This widespread movement was rooted in opposition to the Vietnam War. “There's nothing you can do that can't be done, Nothing you can sing that can't be sung” The Beatles, July 1967. Later…

Guys are unanimously embarrassed by their emptiness and woundedness; it is for most of us a tremendous source of shame, as I've said. But it need not be. From the very beginning, back before the Fall and the assault, ours was meant to be a desperately dependent existence. It's like a tree and its branches, explains Christ. You are the branches, I am the trunk. From me you draw your life; that's how it was meant to be. In fact, he goes on to say, "Apart…

“We are all broken people, living in a broken world. It’s that simple. Unfortunately, no one is exempt from the effects of sin. The good news for all of us is that Jesus steps into the midst of our brokenness, is near to us and makes us whole in his love. What’s even more amazing is God wants to use you to see past the broken exterior to the hearts of the people in your life. Brokenness can often make us hard, bitter and difficult to deal with. But we&rsquo…

Now five months into the worst pandemic we’ve seen in a hundred years - add a couple of months of daily protest with a few riots thrown in - many of us are asking “what happened to the good ‘ole days?” We remember when the biggest issue to deal with when we got up was what color socks to put on - or what was for dinner? Oh, how we long for better days, just like olden times. But wait……………. Is that really the truth?…

“…that even winds and sea obey him?” If we ask that same question, we’ll start to see the bigger picture of who Jesus Christ really is. In Matthew 8:23-27 we experience a unique moment with Jesus’ followers. His disciples are panicked. Imagine the wind – which had been funneled through a narrow gorge – pushing out over the sea of Galilee, making the water turbulent. Waves breaking over the bow of the ship; certain doom is imminent.…

One of my all-time favorite books is Wild at Heart written by John Eldredge. Here's an excerpt. "The most dangerous man on earth is the man who has reckoned with his own death. All men die; few men ever really live. Sure, you can create a safe life for yourself ... and end your days in a rest home babbling on about some forgotten misfortune. I'd rather go down swinging. Besides, the less we are trying to "save ourselves," the more effective a…