In 2016 Jerry Bridges, author of numerous bestselling books, died a few months before the release of his final book, The Blessing of Humility. Now and then over the next several weeks we’ll be posting tributes to Jerry and his …
Traditional holy reading and listening to the Scripture has four steps, with a leader guiding the process. But people can also practice this pattern on their own. (I use it regularly in my devotional practice.) To incorporate holy reading and …
Read moreFour Steps to Holy Reading and Listening to Scripture
In Santa Barbara, California, in 2005, Shoreline Community Church was experiencing a radical change in their community and in their church. The city’s demographics were changing rapidly as more immigrants moved in and white people moved out to the suburbs. …
Read moreWhat Happens When The Church Becomes Outwardly Focused
In 2016 Jerry Bridges, author of numerous bestselling books, died a few months before the release of his final book, The Blessing of Humility. Now and then over the next several weeks we’ll be posting tributes to Jerry and his …
I completely love the GPS apps on my phone. My mind serves me in a lot of ways, but wayfinding is not one of my strengths. Insert: All the driving apps. I’ll admit, but I won’t apologize: I’m spoiled by …
Having good manners at home is a way to show respect. I always had my children wait to serve themselves and eat after everyone, including the cook, were seated at the table. I wanted my children to respect the time …
Read moreFour Etiquette Guidelines for Asking Spiritual Questions
It is easy to point fingers at the loudest voices in the divisive conversations fragmenting our world. I can clearly see how their understanding of God’s love story does not translate into their daily human stories, but one night at …
A few years ago, there was a church in Texas that was expanding their vision of God’s Kingdom by becoming an intentional multiethnic community. They had done the hard work of getting to know their neighbors, growing in love, and …
Read moreTrue Community Transformation Requires Reconciliation
Canadian author Charles de Lint describes our plight: “We end up stumbling our way through the forest, never seeing all the unexpected and wonderful possibilities and potentials because we’re looking for the idea of a tree, instead of appreciating the …
The negative and life-diminishing ways we manage our brokenness and uncomfortable emotions are physical—things we do with our bodies in hopes of making our minds and hearts feel better. We can tell that these coping practices are unhealthy because they …