The Hope of Healing

One of the many benefits of communion with God is that he shares his perspective with us.  When I refer to communion I do not mean the sacrament of communion, although that can be part of it.  Communion means living in a connected way with our heavenly father, whether it is in prayer, fasting, or in scripture, worship, or just sitting and listening in his presence.  Miriam-Webster defines communion as "an act or instance of sharing", and "…

Thanking God glorifies and magnifies Him, but did you know doing so also benefits us? The Lord doesn’t need our gratitude, but as we give thanks, we become less selfish and more confident in God’s character. Expressing gratefulness … Refocuses our attention. Life is filled with distractions that can make it harder to notice all God has done for us. Instead of living with the weight of the world on our shoulders, it’s good to try refocusing on the…

Sometimes people make decisions they later regret because they listened to ungodly counsel. Here are four suggestions to help you discern what is wise, biblical advice: Look for counsel that references God, the Bible, and Jesus. If it neglects or contradicts the principles of Scripture, the best thing to do is retreat. If there’s a lot of talk but little prayer, think twice. Even with a great exchange of ideas and wisdom, a prudent advisor should ultimately defer to…

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints…

The way to render a man happy, is to engage him with an object that will make him forget his private troubles. — Pascal Don't be fooled by the apparent innocence of the object you've chosen as an idol; what is the function of it? Most of our idols also have a perfectly legitimate place in our lives. That's their cover, that's how we get away with our infidelity. The prophet Isaiah gives an example of this when he marvels at a man who cuts down a…

John Spillane is a para-rescue jumper sent into the North Atlantic, into the worst storm of the twentieth century, the perfect storm, as the book and film called it, to rescue a fisherman lost at sea. When his helicopter goes down, he is forced to jump into pitch blackness from an unknown height, and when he hits the water, he’s going so fast it’s like hitting the pavement from eighty feet above. He is dazed and confused—just as we are when it comes to the…

Fyodor was a wild young man. His life revolved around eating, drinking, talking, music, theatre and the company of women. He dreamt of fame. He was caught up in a movement for political and social reform in Russia during the repressive reign of Tsar Nicholas I. He was arrested, tried and condemned to be executed. On a bitterly cold morning, the prisoners were taken out to be shot. The prison guards raised their muskets to their shoulders and took aim. At the last moment, a…

In the Netherlands, a group of fashion designers offer a “Golden Joinery” workshop. Inspired by the Japanese technique Kintsugi, where broken porcelain is visibly repaired with gold, participants collaborate in mending clothes in ways that highlight the mending work rather than trying to mask it. Those who are invited bring “a dear but broken garment and mend it with gold.” As they remake their clothes, the repair becomes ornamental, a “golden scar.;…

Whether we want to admit it or not, we all have bad habits. Those things we do and say that we wish we didn’t do and say. Some habits are difficult to break and some are incredibly difficult to break. We may be prone to laziness or gossip, or we may have formed a habit of abusing substances. Whatever it is, we’ve probably either become comfortable with certain habits in our lives, or we think they’re too difficult to overcome. Why is change so challenging?…