The Disciplemaker Team 
Jesus does not say, “Come to me, all you who have learned how to concentrate in prayer, whose minds no longer wander, and I will give you rest.” No, Jesus opens his arms to his needy children and says, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, NASB). The criteria for coming to Jesus is…
Perhaps one of the greatest reasons we don’t ask God for what we want or need is because we’re afraid that he won’t do it. We fear that he’ll say no, that he won’t answer the way we asked, or that he won’t even answer at all. Unanswered prayer is perhaps one of the most…
On most mornings I turn to the Scriptures as much out of a good, lifelong habit as anything else. On some mornings I approach God’s Word with a more keen sense of purpose. And sometimes I come with a real desire to meet God. But on many occasions—often outside my daily routine of Bible intake—I turn to the Word of God out of…
This post originally appeared on the author’s blog at catherinemcniel.com. Like many churches, we have a Palm Sunday procession to mark the beginning of Holy Week. When I dropped my Kindergartner at her class [on Palm Sunday several years ago], …
Read moreThe Treasonous Act of Small Children Waving Branches
When Jesus’ presence seems absent in the midst of my pain, I find that canned spiritual answers and my usual spiritual disciplines, things that once helped me feel connected to him, no longer work. So one day, I try a new spiritual practice, something…
This post originally appeared on the author’s blog at Jay-Stringer.com. Times of uncertainty like the one we’re in naturally intensify anxiety and powerlessness, and with it, the spread of pornography use. We turn to behaviors that provide relief from the …
Read moreCoronavirus, Porn, and Anxiety: When Three Pandemics Converge
As David said in Psalm 138:8,”The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me.” Because we know God is directing our lives to an ultimate end and because we know He is sovereignly able to orchestrate the events of our lives toward that end, we can trust Him…
Answers. Understanding. Insight. How we long for those! We want so desperately to know what is happening to us and what will become of us. When the days are dark and we feel overwhelmed by pain or sorrow or confusion, we beg for answers. We believe that…
This is part of an ongoing series during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. To engage further in the #QuarantineSoulCare series, click here. Lenten means “springtime” in Middle English, which itself comes from the word lengthen. The sun arches back toward us, …
Read moreQuarantine Soul Care: Lent, Spring, & Doubling Back Toward Life
The whole sense of Scripture, it seems to me, is that God the Father has this thing about being. He was absolutely wild about it. He kept thinking up new ways of being and new kinds of being to be. One afternoon the Son came along and said, “This is really great stuff; why don’t I go mix Us up a batch?” And God the Holy Spirit said, “Terrific! I’ll help You.”…