Marshall Shelley tells the story of the birth of his son. When the child was in the womb, he and his wife Susan learned that he had an abnormal heart. This was obviously difficult for them. They were told their baby would probably not survive birth. The child might not even make it to full … Continue reading Even when we don’t understand
Do we REALLY want community and friendship?
There are popular buzzwords that tell us what people value. A few examples are ‘environmental sustainability,’ ‘transparency,’ ‘wellness,’ or ‘balance.’ Two more biggies are ‘community’ and ‘friendship.’ It’s easy to SAY we want these things, but not fully realize what we’re asking for. The truth is that real community and friendship are often messy. It … Continue reading Do we REALLY want community and friendship?
I wish my dad were here
I wish my dad were here. He died in November 2014 after a short but difficult battle with cancer. I trust that he is in a much better place now than this problem-fraught earth, so it’s not like I wish he were back again dealing with worldly problems instead of enjoying heavenly awesomeness. What I … Continue reading I wish my dad were here
What Jesus didn’t teach about most
This week I’ve been sharing some thoughts about heaven—that it will be better than anything we can experience in this life, and also that it is a place of INCREDIBLE joy. With that in mind, I also want to debunk a popular misconception: that the main thing Jesus taught about was going to heaven after … Continue reading What Jesus didn’t teach about most
Everything good in life multiplied times God
I’ve been talking about heaven; it will be anything but boring. It will be far better than anything we can experience on this earth. That can give us great hope through whatever we’re dealing with because the best is always yet to come. Here’s something else about heaven. Psalm 16:11 (ESV) says that in God’s … Continue reading Everything good in life multiplied times God
The best is yet to come
People have a tonne of misconceptions about heaven. One is that it’s going to be boring. This sentiment is captured in a Far Side comic where some dude sits on a cloud, bored out of his skull, saying “wish I’d brought a magazine.” But in Philippians 1:23, the apostle Paul says: “My desire is to depart … Continue reading The best is yet to come
The power of “God be with you”
The presence and power of God are always around us—sometimes we just need the reminder. Let me give an example. Many of us say “goodbye” to someone when we part. A few years ago I learned that “goodbye” is from an old word “godbwye.” It’s a short form of “God be with you.” People used … Continue reading The power of “God be with you”
the good news about your weakness
One of the mistakes we often make is to pretend we have it all together when we don’t. It happens innocently enough. A lot of us are doing our prayerful best to grow and become more like Jesus. But we can exaggerate or embellish our progress! Take me for example. I often don’t have answers to … Continue reading the good news about your weakness
Walk tall
In 2013, a book came out by Robert Galbraith called The Cuckoo’s Calling. It was a crime fiction novel. The reviews were fantastic, but it didn’t sell very well—just 1500 print copies and a few thousand online. But the Sunday Times learned that “Robert Galbraith” was a pseudonym—a pen name. The real author was none … Continue reading Walk tall
How do you spell love?
I once heard someone ask, “How do you spell love?” Seems simple, doesn’t it? L-O-V-E. “No,” they said. “You spell it T-I-M-E.” Technically you don’t spell love like that. But they were obviously making a point: One way you can give someone your love is to give them your time. It’s a powerful message in … Continue reading How do you spell love?
