We stew in a sour soup of emotions for far too long before coming to God. For some, it is the crazy notion of getting ourselves in a better condition to approach him. (As if our current situation and subsequent …
Our first and most important battleground against shame? Childhood. Shame is transmitted primarily through shame-based family systems. If our child hearts receive the parental love we’re created for, we flourish—and begin to be drawn to an even Greater Love that …
I must start with a confession: Encouraging others is very difficult for me. I’m not 100 percent sure why, but when someone I know accomplishes something great—especially in my own areas of perceived expertise—my natural instinct is not to immediately …
Step One—Prayer of Silence Listening Prayer uses silence as a way of consciously making space for God. Silence is less about not talking and more about having a posture of open, attentive listening for God. Group Listening Prayer typically begins …
The vision of a God who has himself suffered testifies to his mysterious but good character. God’s suffering is part of the answer to that deeper, emotional struggle with evil. God does not give us all the answers. He cannot. …
Many fathers (and mothers, too—this is an issue that warps all parent-child relationships) are simply awful to their children—which means that Jesus’ words about God’s “fatherhood” (or any invocation of “parenthood” applied to God) are not easy pills to swallow. …
Psychologists talk about the “stages of grief,” and this framework has trickled down into the popular consciousness. First comes denial and disbelief. Next is rage at the loss and the universe in general. After that is bargaining, attempting to somehow …
Read moreConversion to Christianity, like Grief, Isn’t Neat and Tidy.
You and I need to learn to recognize the invitation of the Spirit when it feels as though our lives are on fire. If we have eyes to see it, we will discern God’s adoring love in our agony, reaching …
As we have faced my wife, Elizabeth’s diagnosis, different versions of healing promises have popped up everywhere. We have been given several books that implicitly or explicitly make such claims. I have talked to people who struggle deeply with the …
Read moreIs God the Object of Our Hope—Or Is It Our Healing?
To engage in effective spiritual warfare, you need to know your enemy and your authority, but most of all, you need to know how to fight! Baptist pastor John Piper says that “the number one reason why prayer malfunctions in …
Read more3 Questions to Ask When Confronting Conflict in Prayer