Embracing Growth God’s Way

A Christ-Centered Growth Mindset Makes Change Possible Have you ever felt like you’ve hit a wall– mentally, emotionally, even spiritually?  The good news is that God never designed us to stay stuck.  Through Him we are constantly being reshaped, refined, and renewed. Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase “growth mindset.”  Psychology Today defines it as “the belief that … Read more

What Do You Need To Succeed?

  Entering the Promised Land We all have a Promised Land to enter.  It’s the place where we achieve our God-given purpose, the place where we become all that God intends us to be, the place where we receive all that God has for us.  But in order to enter our Promised Land, there’s something … Read more

Peripheral People

 “Minor” Characters? I’ve been a Christian most of my life, and I’ve done a lot of Bible reading.  I’ve read through the entire Bible numerous times in various translations, and I’ve benefitted from Bible studies taught by excellent pastors.  The Word of God is very familiar to me. Many of us know about what might … Read more

Why Go To Church?

The Post-Pandemic Church I come from a generation that grew up going to church.  It was the cultural norm.  As a kid, I only knew of one person in our neighborhood who did not attend church. My, how times have changed. Church attendance had been declining for several decades, but the pandemic of 2020 accelerated … Read more

Simple Songs

  Memories…of the Way We Were  Our beloved Nana lived to be almost 102 years old.  It was such a blessing to care for her in the final years of her life.  I remember her saying that the older you are, the more you think of the past.  Now that I’m a senior citizen, I’m … Read more

Are You Ready?

Nowhere To Go? This weekend we had a really nice visit with some family members.  One of them was Aunt Theresa.  She’s my wife’s aunt (does that make her my aunt-in-law?) Anyway, we asked if she could stay for a bit, and her response was, “I’ve got nowhere to go and all day to get … Read more

Reflections on Retirement

What Should I Do? Shortly before Covid hit in 2020, I began thinking about retirement.  I’d been working for decades in children’s ministry, teaching in a Christian school and Sunday School and VBS, and I was getting tired.  My energy level and my patience were not what they once were (and if you know anything … Read more

A Tale of Two Cities

“Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho, Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, and the walls came tumbling down!” Many of us are familiar with this Sunday School song.  But few people realize that in the Bible, it’s not just about Jericho.  It’s really a tale of two cities, mighty Jericho and insignificant Ai … Read more

Which Ananias Are You?

There are many heroes of the faith mentioned in the New Testament.  If you were asked to name one, you might mention Paul, or Peter, or John.  Chances are the same names would come up no matter who you asked. But, like the major and minor prophets in the Old Testament, the Bible also has … Read more