You have loved us first, O God, alas! We speak of it in terms of history as if You loved us first but a single time, rather than without ceasing. You have loved us first many times and every day and our whole life through. When we wake up in the morning and turn our...
God loves you—we’ve heard it so much we barely even notice it, and yet…in the part of us that still needs to improve ourselves, have we heard it? In the part of us that stings with shameful memories or…just knows we don’t measure up, have we heard it? In the part of...
God can and does impart greater gifts to those who are faithful while those who distrust him can only lose what they have. in The Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 8
There is a reason Mary is everywhere. I've seen her image all over the world, in cafés in Istanbul, on students' backpacks in Scotland, in a market stall in Jakarta, but I don't think her image is everywhere because she is a reminder to be obedient, and I don't think...
The problem is, many of the people in need of saving are in churches, and at least part of what they need saving from is the idea that God sees the world the same way they do.
When you feel miserable inside, look at the cross and you’ll know what is happening. Suffering, pain, humiliation and feelings of loneliness are nothing but the kiss of Jesus; a sign that you have come so close that he can kiss you. Never put on a long face. Suffering...
Just up the road from my home is a field with two horses in it. From a distance, each looks like every other horse. But if you stop your car or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing. Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind....
Our prayers offered when we do not feel like it are more acceptable than prayers offered at other times. When we pray because we feel like it, we are pleasing ourselves. By praying when we do not feel like it, we bring God not only the content of our prayer, but a...
I was fifteen years old when I felt called to preach. My home church pastor said that I should get as much experience as possible. Obviously, there was not a great demand for fifteen-year-old novices who were long on enthusiasm but short on skill. So, my pastor sent...
In Louisville, at the corner of Fourth and Walnut, in the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all these people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were...