Rest: a faint dream for many, a treasured commodity in a fallen world, a thing so needed yet so easily interrupted. The garden was a place of rest— no violence in creation, no weed or thorn, no cleft between God and man, no reason to hide, no cause for fear, no need unmet, no grief to face. Bright sun, pure love, unfettered peace, unstained beauty, man and God, worship and love. But, a voice interrupted the rest: strategies of death, words of deceit, actions of... Read More

I remember taking one of my sons to a national art gallery in Washington, DC. I love to paint, so I was personally excited about what we were going to see, but more than that, I was excited to give my son this awesome experience. I had a parental vision that he would have his mind blown and would thank me for what I had done for him that day. As it turned out, he was decidedly unexcited. His mind wasn’t blown; it wasn’t even activated. I saw things of such stunning beauty that... Read More

My heart cries out, but I am not afraid, discouraged, panicked, forgotten, alone, dismayed, or doubtful because in the din of a million voices from every place, in every situation, young and old crying day and night in weakness, in alienation, in fear, and in distress, you are not overwhelmed, you are not distracted, you are not disgusted, you are not discouraged, you are not exhausted. But you listen, you hear, you attend to my cry in tenderness of mercy, in... Read More

My family was attending a worship service punctuated by a powerful sermon on the Ten Commandments. After its conclusion, I turned to my wife Luella and said, “I’m so glad our children were here to listen to that sermon!” It happened to me without even noticing: I placed myself outside the circle of the sermon’s diagnosis. I had concluded that whatever conviction we just heard did not apply to me, and I was glad that the people in my family who “really needed it” had been in attendance. ... Read More

I’m sure you know the story of King Nebuchadnezzar. The king of Babylon had reached a height of unparalleled greatness and power, and in an act of divine glory thievery, he created a large golden image and commanded everyone under his authority to bow down and worship his idol. Nebuchadnezzar proclaims, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30, ESV) You cannot find a more blatant... Read More

Last week we considered awe. Specifically, how: God created human beings with the capacity to be amazed God loaded the world with amazing creation It’s impossible for you to not live in a daily pursuit of things that will leave you amazed Creation, while amazing and designed to be celebrated, cannot satisfy your soul Looking for awe in the wrong places will leave you dissatisfied and is spiritual warfare But I must say more. Otherwise, our discussion of awe would have a... Read More

He was possibly the most dissatisfied man I had ever met. He owned possessions and experienced opportunities that you and I could only dream of. His family looked perfect from the outside. He attended a solid church, too. But the one thing he hadn’t achieved yet was personal happiness. As I counseled him, bitterness colored every word. He was shockingly dissatisfied. One day he diagnosed his depression without even knowing it. “How could it be that I have it all and yet feel... Read More

I love these hope-filled words from Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (ESV) Read back a few lines. In verse 5, Paul calls your Lord “the God of endurance.” This title really gets at the center of where your hope is to be found. Let me state it plainly: your hope is not to be found in your willingness and ability to endure, but in God’s unshakable,... Read More

Feeling troubled, inadequate, weak, defeated, overwhelmed, alienated, or alone? Here are six gospel promises to embrace today: 1. The Gospel Promises Forgiveness Today Many of us carry around our sin in a metaphorical backpack of regret, bruising our spiritual shoulders and breaking the back of our faith. Jesus took the weight of our sin on himself so that we wouldn’t have to carry it any longer. He says that he will remember our sins no more but will separate us from those sins as far as... Read More