“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10 NIV) I have a love/hate relationship with this verse. I love the promise it makes and the loving intent of a Savior who would generously offer so much. I hate my intermittent inability to believe it. A scarcity mindset has…
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” (Genesis 3:1 NIV) One of the delights of parenting is the surprise yes. When the familiar ting-a-ling song of…
I spend a lot of time with teenagers. I have taught middle school and high school for almost six years, and I have experienced the teen years with my own children. And, yes, while my kids and my students do sometimes fulfill the stereotypes assigned to teens, they are more than that. They have deep…
“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” (Titus 3:4-5 NIV) I exhale audibly as this verse sinks into my mind, and I’m released momentarily from my perfectionist tendencies. I’m reminded that it’s not my striving,…
“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” (Isa. 46:4 NIV) I was fourteen the first time I dyed my hair. At that young age, I wasn’t…
On February 3, 1989, apprentice jockey Nate Hubbard was having the race of his life. That is, until his horse, Sweetwater Oak, launched him from the saddle with only a hundred yards to go. He clung to the neck of his mount and crossed the finish line in second place. After finishing fifth in the…