Broken Beauty
Teach and stand on truth, but please do so in love.
Teach and stand on truth, but please do so in love.
All humans should be treated as priceless individuals because they are created in the image of God.
Maybe it would be better to lean in closer to hear what their latest failure taught them to do or not to do.
Be great today by choosing to lay your life down for someone else.
For Christ-followers, this life is just the practice round for eternity. Death here is a doorway to there.
I suggest that words matter and are best heard and understood in a real, live conversation.
You were made to live in a supportive and encouraging network of relationships.
Profound joy and incredible creativity are found in the white spaces of life.
Nobody gets smarter or wiser by talking.
Deep down, we want to believe that God can do anything, but we’re pretty sure He has limits when it comes to us.
Maybe the best thing we can do for those who need us when their life isn’t so merry is to simply stay close.
As Christ-followers, it would seem evident that what upset Jesus ought to disturb us.
Rude rage doesn’t wear well on those who say they love God and others.
The older I get, the more I realize that many people walk through life with a limp, and it’s okay.
Our Savior put the needs of others before His own and wasn’t interested only in His own life.
The fear of failure is what keeps many people hiding in the shadows.
Jesus was despised and rejected by some of His closest friends even though He never did anything wrong.
I don’t hate social media, but I despair over the emotional and verbal abuse I see regularly.
He went to the cross and called you to take up your cross and follow him for the sake of others.
What is a reality in my body is often a reality in my soul.
Marriage is about moving forward rather than getting stuck in the present or fixating on the past.
I cringe when a well-meaning Christian says or does something so peculiar that it builds a barrier rather than a bridge to the lost.
People need to know that no leader is on a pedestal of perfection.
I quit trying to please everyone a long time ago because it’s a foolish endeavor.
You can’t become more robust by coasting through life.
God never wants anything less than the best a person is capable of accomplishing.
We must let our light shine again in the darkness that threatens to forever devour the devastated.
Do you know what refreshes, refuels, and restores you?
God never wags His finger at us or screams in anger when we fall short and aren’t perfect.
We are all about life transformation, and transforming encounters happen as we care for and pray for one another.
I’ve wasted too much emotional energy and worried far too much about things that are far less important than eternal life.
Perfection isn’t the standard because perfection simply isn’t possible.
Think about it. Today is all you have for certain. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.
The disciples’ lives were forever changed, but the culture they lived in was still broken and dark.
You can’t find God’s path and purpose for your life when you’re trying to walk on someone else’s road.
Good days. Bad days. Good performance. Not-so-good. God picked you.
No desolate place I end up in by my choice or by others’ poor decisions is the end of the story.
Most of us want to be liked and treated with a measure of honor and respect.
Love should be our first reaction. We should show love again and again and again. Love should permeate our existence as Christ-followers . . . always.
There is wisdom sometimes in wrestling with things we’d rather ignore.
Here it is in all its God-be-praised certainty: God wants to partner with you.
Leadership—on the best of days—is an experiment in endeavoring.
Sometimes, I look at all the relational and leadership mistakes I’ve made, and I disgust myself.
So, never underestimate the value of your support to a pastor. He’s human. Most of us are needier than you might think.
What can you do when it seems that “truth” is hurting a relationship?
Our Heavenly Father’s voice can silence the lies we tell ourselves, the lies our parents have told us, and the lies of the evil one.
Choose to be unoffendable. Choose to embrace the one yelling at you.
If a governor or president issues a mandate for churches to not participate in what is called “congregational singing,” we will worship because the Word says to.
COVID-19 is here and may not ever go away. And in my opinion, at some point, all of us may be exposed to someone with the coronavirus.
Those around you are watching and listening. Are you demonstrating faith?
Our words are like the weather. You don’t need an app; just look outside.
God can do anything and everything, but apparently, He values our obedience and cooperation.
Now is our opportunity as Christ-followers to mark our cities with the Gospel rather than be marred by evil.
As Christ-followers, we’ll all end up in the same place for eternity,
but what we learn in and through the struggle of life on planet earth is essential.
Maybe the last time you showed up for church or your small group, you looked around and said to yourself, “What a bunch of losers!” And you’re right. We are.
What will shake us from our apathy and resulting lethargy?
You wonder if life will ever get better, let alone back to some semblance of normal.
The rise of cynicism is undeniable and dramatic.
For Christ-followers, choosing to love above all isn’t optional.
When I stop and remember how patient and kind God is with me, it helps me maintain a heart of compassion toward those who intentionally or unintentionally wound me.
We are proud. We are selfish. We are messed up. This reality has been true, is true, and always will be true at some level until there is a new heaven and a new earth.
The capital city has many destitute people, but the small villages of Nepal are occupied by the poorest of the poor.
As humans, we have the God-given ability to adapt. As Christ-followers, we have the God-given ability to persevere.
I imagine I will wrestle with some fears for the rest of my life, but I cannot afford to let them control me or my destiny in Christ.
For use in this blog, I’m describing a narcissist or narcissist-in-training as someone who acts like the world revolves around them and their needs.
You can be young and still grumpy because age doesn’t determine outlook; your perspective does.
It’s not about me as much as I think it’s about me, and I shouldn’t assume it is. It’s amazing how often people don’t think about me!
One of the best ways to let the Wrath of Khan go (sorry for the Star Trek reference) is to simply not let it bother you because it’s probably more their problem than yours.
My tendency to be negative happens because I get too focused on the thing (or person) right in my face, and I miss the bigger picture.