“It is no small pity, and should cause us no little shame, that, through our own fault, we do not understand ourselves, or know who we are … It is foolish to think that we will enter heaven without entering into ourselves.”
The secret storm raging within me is often greater than all the storms battering the world around me. If you think a global pandemic, racial unrest, and political divisiveness is a lot to handle, try living one day inside the soul of a person at war with themselves.
While some people’s midlife crisis leads them to buy a motorcycle or start running marathons, my midlife crisis led me to stop chasing the fading glow of Sunday.
“The monastery is a school of love because it teaches us to forget ambition, convenience and self-gratification in order to open our hearts to love.”
“Every step closer to my soul excites the scornful laughter of my devils, those cowardly ear-whisperers and poison-mixers.” -C. G. Jung “We are not unaware of the Devil’s schemes” (2 Cor. 2:11). In 1978, spiritual writer Richard Foster wrote: “In contemporary society our Adversary majors in three things: noise, […]
Last night my 5-year old asked, “Daddy, if Jesus lives in Heaven, and he’s going to bring us there when we die, then why did he put us on Earth at all?”
I just realized in my 41st year of life, in my 21st year of intentionally following Jesus, and my 11th year as pastor of MainStreet that…I am Nicodemus. And I’m not alone.
When I find myself revisiting the valley of the shadow of death and making mental mud pies in the pit, the mind of my “flesh” tells me I’m in Enemy territory. The Spirit of Truth reminds me, “The light shines in the darkness.”
Today’s Words Of Wisdom (WOW) are from Parker J. Palmer. I’m currently reading his book Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life (2004). “Like a wild animal, the soul is tough, resilient, resourceful, savvy, and self-sufficient: it knows how to survive in hard places. I learned about these […]
Wise people have observed that we spend the first half of life living out the Parable of the Talents (Matt 25:14–30), investing our time, talent and treasures in hopes of yielding a satisfying return that benefits ourselves and the greater good. This is largely an outward project of […]
In this cultural moment when so many are seeking holistic healing, holistic medicine, Whole Foods, and whole-bodied spiritual practices (e.g., meditation, yoga, etc.), Christian teachers have such an opportunity to share the holistic message Jesus taught. Yet, I fear too many pastors and churches are still drunk on […]
