Building strength isn’t just about the lift.
Tag: maturity
Take the RISK: The ministry of reconciliation
Pastor Mike Todd’s message on racial reconciliation, re-presented, is the best out there on Christians’ role in racial healing. Watch the video, read the notes, change your life.
He calls you as you are not
God calls out who you are long before it’s who you are. Just before the Unpleasantness, I found an extremely abridged version of “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” at the thrift store (remember those?) and scooped it up for Mackenzie. She found it over the weekend, so we read it together. She was …
Dilating the eyes of your soul
Raise your hand if you’ve ever had your pupils dilated at the eye doctor. Isn’t it just the worst? Ugh. But check this out. So during the test, they drop an irritant on your eye to widen the pupil and let in the maximum amount of light, letting them see deep inside and check the …
I need an adult
As the news escalates, a previously-rare thought is surfacing more: I don’t want to be the grownup. I don’t know what I’m doing! I don’t know if it’s time to wear masks to the store or for my husband to shower when he gets home. I don’t know how to explain that the mall, …
Fruit whackin’
Have you noticed how when you ask God to give you more of some good character trait that you almost immediately run out of it? There’s nothing quite like praying for patience to conjure a traffic jam, for example. Ever wonder why? Personally, I always assumed it’s because if we want a new skill, we …
Correction is not rejection
No one likes being told they’re wrong. Especially not when it comes from the Almighty. It makes us feel small, unworthy, and hopeless. We want to crawl under a rock and never again burden the world with our presence. But that’s the exact opposite of His intention! It’s us going too far. That sorrow you …
God builds castles, not condos
There are condos going up all over Hamilton right now. Which is great for Progress™ but I don’t know why you’d want to live in one. They’re expensive, tiny, and made out of the cheapest material by the lowest bidder. I know they’ll be someone’s house one day, but you know what else is a …
Grow into your blessing
When God promises us good things, it’s hard to wait. Much like a cake-smeared toddler tearing through birthday presents, we want it all and we want it right now. But could you imagine if you landed a seven-figure job before you could manage a four-figure budget? Or got a Lamborghini as your first car? You’d …
It’s how you respond
How do you respond when God calls you? Do you hide and hope He passes by, like Adam in his post-fruit shame? Or do you leap up with an eager heart and reach for Him, saying “Here I am, Lord!” like Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Samuel, and Isaiah did? It’s tempting to pretend you’re invisible when …
All great things grow noiselessly (including you)
As the excitement of the holidays fades and the new year plods on with the business of reality, I want to remind you that change is hard. And that’s okay. No matter how deeply you’re convicted about your intentions, at some point you’re going to struggle. Maybe today, maybe next month, but it’ll happen. You’ll …