It's probably clear that I believe in miracles. In Matthew 19:26 Jesus says, “with God all things are possible.” And I fully affirm that God can and does do mind-bending things. But God doesn’t just work in dramatic ways—he works in “ordinary” ways too. The reason I put “ordinary” in quotes is because what we … Continue reading “Ordinary” miracles
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What if God was Einstein and we were ants
Imagine a small child wandered into an operating room at a hospital only to discover their daddy cut open on a table, surrounded by doctors holding knives and wearing weird masks. Oh, and there’s blood all over the place. Naturally, the child would scream out, “Nooo! Stop hurting daddy!” The child simply didn’t realize that … Continue reading What if God was Einstein and we were ants
How you picture your future
There’s an old story about two men who were thrown into a dungeon. One man learned that his family was dead. But the other learned that his family was alive and waiting for him if and when he ever got out. The one who learned that his family was dead wasted away and died rather … Continue reading How you picture your future
When you feel like God isn’t there
It’s easy to think that if you don’t see God dramatically intervening in your life that he isn’t there. If you’ve ever had those kinds of thoughts, you’re not alone. Listen to these famous voices from the Bible itself: -Gideon: “If the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us?” (Judges 6:13) … Continue reading When you feel like God isn’t there
God sometimes uses miracles, but he often uses this
Have you ever prayed for a miracle and it didn’t happen? Have you ever wondered why God didn’t act? Have you ever been told that you just didn’t believe enough? In these moments we can feel very alone or angry or disillusioned—as if God’s apparent silence meant (or means) that he doesn’t care… or maybe … Continue reading God sometimes uses miracles, but he often uses this
Apply this to yourself first
Yesterday’s devotional was about being “judgmental.” Contrary to what some people think, it’s actually okay to offer a humble word of constructive criticism to someone—just make sure you’ve first applied the same standard to yourself. Today, let’s go a bit further. After making the previous point, Jesus says: “Do not give dogs what is sacred; … Continue reading Apply this to yourself first
Before you correct someone do this
When people tell you to not be “judgmental” they sometimes cite Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:1: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” That’s definitely a powerful word for all of us! But what many people skip over is what Jesus says in verses 4-5: “How can you say to your brother, ‘Let … Continue reading Before you correct someone do this
Can you trick God into a miracle?
Lately I’ve been thinking about miracles. As a part of that, I’ve been looking for patterns in the New Testament stories—particularly the ones about healing. Yesterday I talked about (a) how desperate many of the people were who came to Jesus, and (b) how convinced they were that he could actually help. [You can read … Continue reading Can you trick God into a miracle?
The more prosperous and educated we are
When you read through the New Testament healing stories, you start to see some patterns. One is that the people who come to Jesus for help are desperate. Another is that they are convinced he can actually do something about their situation. For example, in Matthew 9:18 a respectable synagogue leader kneels before Jesus in … Continue reading The more prosperous and educated we are
The nightmare that isn’t a dream
Recently I spoke with Abby, a volunteer involved in the fight against human trafficking in the sex trade. [You can watch a video of our conversation here.] According to the International Labor Organization, there are over 40 million modern slaves, many of whom are sex slaves. That’s more people than live in my entire country. … Continue reading The nightmare that isn’t a dream
