Walking With God

Listen The Sirens were three mysterious women who, according to Homer’s Odyssey, lived on an island. Whenever a ship passed by, they would stand on the cliffs and sing. Their beautiful song would tempt sailors closer and closer until eventually they were shipwrecked on the rocks below. Odysseus was curious to hear the Sirens’ song but was well aware of the dangers. He ordered his men to tie him to the mast as they approached the island and then to plug their own…

Listen Do you feel special, or does a sense of insignificance hang over you like a cloud? The good news is that every believer is special in the Lord’s eyes, and He’s set you apart for Himself. Since you now belong to Him, you’re not here on this earth to live as you please. You exist to bring glory and honor to Him by becoming more and more like His Son in your character, conduct, and conversation. It’s not a matter of following a list of rules, but…

Listen When we first think of being in a relationship with God, we probably picture him as somewhat flashy, even as many of us tried to be (at least us guys) when we were dating. He gave Jacob visions of angels descending and ascending to heaven; he parted the Red Sea for Moses and made the sun stand still for a day so the Israelites could win a battle. He definitely makes an impression. But you kind of wonder what he’s like when you’re alone with him. Would he…

Listen I was reading an excerpt from Gordon MacDonald’s book, Ordering Your Private World. In Chapter 6, Has Anyone Seen My Time? I’ve Misplaced It!, he writes, “The central principle of all personal organization of time is simple: time must be budgeted!” As I read on, he cites many examples of how Christ operated with practical methods of organization. It got me thinking even further about the percentage of His time on earth that was invested in…

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 Can you think of a pivotal moment that led to your relationship with Jesus? Most of us can name a special person or set of circumstances that helped us get to know Him. Or perhaps you’re reading this out of curiosity, and you don’t know Him at all. Regardless of what state your relationship with God is in, the fact remains: He loves you and will never give up on you. Paul writes, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).…

Listen The passage in Matthew where Peter is invited to walk on water is a familiar one to most of us. Every time I read it, I put myself in Peter's place for an instant. Not only physically but metaphorically. Can you imagine walking on the surface of the water to the outstretched hand of Jesus? On so many levels it would have been a monumental moment in not only Peter’s life, but in the rest of the disciples watching. But….. that was not the only miracle…

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,…

Listen These should be our guiding principles in every decision we make. ‘Love and Loyalty’ (Proverbs 3:3) should be deeply embedded in our hearts. Loyalty means, for example, speaking about others as if they were present. We establish trust in those who are present by our loyalty to those who are not present. If you live like this, God promises you a good reputation ‘in God’s eyes and the eyes of the people’ (Verse 4, The Message). Run to God!…