The Daily Memo

Francis Chan’s mother died giving birth to him. The only affection he can remember receiving from his father lasted about thirty seconds when he was on the way to his stepmother’s funeral aged nine. When he was twelve, his father also died. Francis cried, but also felt relieved. Francis is now a pastor. He and his wife, Lisa, have seven children. When his children were born, his own love for his children and his desire for their love was so strong that it opened…

After reading about Jesus’ response to ill, paralyzed, and demon-possessed people (Matt. 8:1-34), do you ever wonder why He doesn’t answer your prayers with miraculous healing too? It might seem God has changed His approach since the first century, but even back then, Jesus didn’t physically heal every hurting person. However, that doesn’t mean divine restoration is reserved for a lucky few. Instead, the Lord heals in His time and His way, and how He…

Over the years, it has struck me—in view of Paul’s warning that those who desire to be rich plunge into ruin and destruction—how strange it is how many Christian people still pursue wealth. But Paul means what he says—desiring to be rich is deadly. And there is more. The key that unlocks this text is in verse 6: “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” What is the protection against these deadly effects of money? Answer: a heart that…

In 2007, a group of twenty-three South Korean missionaries were captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan. They were terrified. The Taliban separated the group, isolated them and confiscated their possessions. One of the Korean women managed to hold on to her Bible. She ripped it into twenty-three pieces and secretly gave each of them a portion so that wherever they were, each person could read a part of Scripture when no one was watching. The group knew that the Taliban had…

Is it not true that for most of us who call ourselves Christians, there is no real experience? We have substituted theological ideas for an arresting encounter; we are full of religious notions, but our greatest weakness is that for our hearts, there is no one there. Whatever else it embraces, true Christian experience must always include a genuine encounter with God. Without this, religion is but a shadow, a reflection of reality, a cheap copy of an original once enjoyed…

I’m reading Dr. Ben Carson’s recent book entitled Created Equal. In it he shares insights into a number of issues prevalent in today’s culture around race relations. But I was fascinated by a subject he knows a little something about. As the former director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins he writes a few paragraphs about brain plasticity. Unlike many other organs of the body, the brain has not reached developmental maturation at birth. Babies…

Years in the Comfort Culture made us emotionally soft. If we don’t feel like doing something, we don’t do it. If we don’t feel like believing something, we don’t believe it. Folks like to call this authenticity, but it’s really just adolescence. Like a fourteen-year-old, we treat our emotions as some sort of right, the truest part of our existence. If we don’t feel love, we think we are no longer in love; if we don’t feel God, we…

Set aside time each day for meditating on God’s Word: Listen for His voice, slowly digest what you read, talk to the Lord, ask Him questions, and apply what you learn. Don’t just read the Bible—study it, perhaps starting with a verse or short passage. Some of you may say, “I’ve never been into that.” My advice: Get into it! The deep things of God don’t just drop into our brains; they are placed there through diligent study. Hunger…

When it comes to God’s healing, there is no “one size fits all.” Each of us is uniquely made, and though our circumstances might resemble someone else’s, what works for one person may not work in every case. We have different experiences, desires, obstacles, and emotional wounds. Yet the Lord provides some tools that belong in every Christian’s toolbox. Consider prayer and meditating on Scripture, both of which help you grow in your…