The Reality of Our Present World

In the Jesus Calling Daily that arrives in my inbox each morning here’s what it said today. “Waiting patiently does not come easily to you, but it is nonetheless very good for you. You long to plan ahead, make definitive decisions, and make things happen. There is a time for that, but this is not the time. Now is a time for sitting in My Presence, trusting Me with your whole being.” (From Jesus Listens by Sarah Young) Was that God speaking? I’m sure…

There are three desires that I have found essential to a woman’s heart, which are not entirely different from a man’s and yet they remain distinctly feminine. Not every woman wants a battle to fight, but every woman yearns to be fought for. Listen to the longing of a woman’s heart: She wants to be more than noticed — she wants to be wanted. She wants to be pursued. Every woman also wants an adventure to share. “I want to be Isabo in Ladyhawk,;…

Jesus didn’t always explain everything in great detail. If someone I trust tells me something, and I know it’s for my benefit, I just trust it. I’m fine with the possibility someone might be wrong, particularly when I weigh they might be right and my life would be better if I did what they suggest. Remember, though, I’m a lawyer. I deal with sneaky people for a living, so I’m no pushover. I’ve learned to sharpen my intuition about why…

Why did Nicodemus visit Jesus at night? Fear of what his peers would do if they found out. He wasn’t alone in this; John says that “many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue” (John 12:42). They chose job security over Jesus. This fear is a mighty powerful force. The fear of man. Peer pressure. What will others think? This can get deadly. This…

To help avoid future financial mistakes, such as those in 1929 and 2008 that brought down the world’s economy, the Library of Mistakes was founded in Edinburgh, Scotland. It features a collection of more than two thousand books that can help educate the next generation of economists. And it serves as a perfect example of how, according to the library’s curators, “smart people keep doing stupid things.” The curators believe that the only way to build…

There is a widespread belief in the church that to be a Christian somehow satisfies our every desire. As one camp song has it, “I’m inright, outright, upright, downright happy all day long.” What complete nonsense! Augustine emphasized, “The whole life of the good Christian is a holy longing. What you desire ardently, as yet you do not see.” So, “let us long because we are to be filled ... That is our life, to be exercised by longing.;…

By the grace of God, we cannot quite pull it off. In the quiet moments of the day we sense a nagging within, a discontentment, a hunger for something else. But because we have not solved the riddle of our existence, we assume that something is wrong—not with life, but with us. Everyone else seems to be getting on with things. What's wrong with me? We feel guilty about our chronic disappointment. Why can't I just learn to be happier in my job, in my marriage,…

By the grace of God, we cannot quite pull it off. In the quiet moments of the day we sense a nagging within, a discontentment, a hunger for something else. But because we have not solved the riddle of our existence, we assume that something is wrong—not with life, but with us. Everyone else seems to be getting on with things. What's wrong with me? We feel guilty about our chronic disappointment. Why can't I just learn to be happier in my job, in my marriage,…

We all felt the pain of the moment when it was reported that Michele, a 61-year-old women, had died tragically when a propane tank exploded in the office at a small local motel in our community. She was a night auditor there and had worked for the family-owned business for 34 years. Our hearts are hurting, even though we may not have known her personally. The headlines in today’s newspaper read: “The Most Loving” – Hundreds gather to honor woman who…