Jonathan Haidt is a psychologist who did a hypothetical experiment. People were given a summary of the life story of a girl named Jillian. Here are some of the details: At a young age, Jillian developed a learning disability which would delay her ability to read, and which impacted her grades and work throughout life. … Continue reading Moments to tone the muscle of your character
perspective
The right attitude
I once heard about a man who had a heart attack. His life flashed before his eyes which scared him. As a result, he started to take better care of himself, pay more attention to the people he cared about, and live by better priorities. A friend noticed the change and came to visit. “How’d … Continue reading The right attitude
In a world where resurrection is possible
The resurrection is central to Christian faith. Paul says that if Jesus has not been raised then your faith is “useless” (1 Corinthians 15:14). It changes how we see and experience the world. Why? Because in a world where resurrection is possible, anything is possible! The New Testament writers continually highlight that our world and … Continue reading In a world where resurrection is possible
Eternal things more than temporary things
Over the past few devotionals I’ve been helping us reflect on the fact that mature people mature people. Adjective, noun, verb, noun. In other words, people who are mature can help other people become more mature as well. Because of their faithfulness and maturity they can be a positive role model for us. In addition, … Continue reading Eternal things more than temporary things
When you have something good to look forward to
When you have something good to look forward to, it softens the blow of what you’re currently going through. We all know it’s true. If a child doesn’t want to go to school on a Thursday, remind them that the weekend is almost here and it helps. If you’re having a tough week, and if … Continue reading When you have something good to look forward to
The antidote to human rivalry
Rivalry is a bigger part of our lives than we often realize. Maybe you have an actual rival, someone you’re always competing with—maybe in sports, at school, or in the office. And although what I’m about to say can apply to those situations, let’s think more broadly. It’s easy to continually compare ourselves to others. … Continue reading The antidote to human rivalry
Complaining—in a healthier way
What happens in December? Singing? Praying? Helping the poor? Yup. And there’s probably some shopping and scurrying in there too! But here’s something else: Complaining. As a pastor, I wish I could say that I never complain about anything. But that’s just not true. One of the reasons this concerns me is because of James … Continue reading Complaining—in a healthier way
Pessimism & Optimism vs. Reality
There was a family with two boys. One was an extreme pessimist. The other was an extreme optimist. The parents didn’t like their extreme attitudes, so they tried a gift-giving experiment at Christmas to try and correct them. They thought that if they gave the pessimist a gift that was so over-the-moon awesome, he would … Continue reading Pessimism & Optimism vs. Reality
Wasting time well spent
Maybe we should all get a bit better at wasting time sometimes. Now hear me out. I’m not saying we should be lazy. And I’m not saying we shouldn’t work hard. We should. Just not every second of every day of every year. We generally look down our noses at wasting time. After all, we’ve … Continue reading Wasting time well spent
Confused about the true value of things
In Mark 4:18-19 Jesus says that some people “hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” He’s describing people who don’t respond to God’s word and message because of three things. The one we’ll focus … Continue reading Confused about the true value of things
