Today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 8:26-40) is often used as an example for witnessing to a foreigner or a Gentile. However, I personally believe that this passage is also about being open to where the Holy Spirit is leading us. Read More
On the Inside; On the Outside
Something strange has been happening in my bed lately, and it’s getting out of control! Read More
For my birthday this year, my wife Stephanie bought me one of those fitness activity bands. If you’re not familiar with these, it’s a small device that you wear on your wrist, and its main purpose is to monitor how active you are and to motivate you to get moving and get healthier. It will monitor the amount of steps you’ve taken, miles walked, calories burned, stairs climbed and even how long you’ve slept at night. And it even tells you what time it is! And, the one that I have also monitors my heart rate so I know when to increase my workout. I love this thing! And since I’ve received it, I have changed many of my old habits and have taken the necessary steps (pun intended) to improve my well-being.
And that’s exactly why I love Lent! It’s a time for us to monitor our daily spiritual activities. It’s a time for us to realize that we are not doing all the things that we should be doing (or perhaps doing things that we should not be doing). We need to check our heart to see if we are loving others, treating them with respect, and putting their needs before our own. We need to measure the amount of steps we’ve walked in another’s shoes, so we may not judge others according to our own standards or personal beliefs. We need to ask ourselves, “How many people have I burned by my hurtful or slanderous words?” We need to wake from our sleep and be rejuvenated in our faith and in our prayer life.
Now is the perfect time for us to be reconciled with God. We’re about mid-way through Lent – and it’s not too late! We can reconnect with the Lord. We can change our bad habits into good habits. We can become the people that God made us to be. We can be active and transform our lives for the better – but only if we want to do so.
The good news is that we don’t have to do this on our own. Jesus is right here to help us (and to get us moving)!
Behold, now is a very acceptable time; now is the day of salvation!
“When I decided to give my life over to the care of Christ it seemed as though I was riding a tandem bike with Christ pedaling on the back seat. I kept steering the bike as best as I could. It was a hard and rocky road. So I kept pleading for Christ to pedal harder to help me make it through the dangerous areas. There were treacherous corners, steep mountains, large rocks and deep holes on the road I was traveling. Because of the complexity of the path I kept crashing the bike and running off the road. I kept getting injured and I often lost hope that I could follow such a difficult path. After several serious mishaps, my Savior asked, ‘Might I steer for a while?’ Reluctantly, I agreed and climbed on the back of the bike and began pedaling as best as I could. I watched in wonder as to the new way that Christ maneuvered the bicycle through the obstacles on the path. He was able to navigate through every danger ahead. If I ever felt frightened He would lean back and touch me with comforting assurance. When I needed rest, He would stop pedaling to give me living water and the bread of life. He guided me to places and people who helped me gain knowledge, healing, acceptance and joy. Now I understand, the power of the tandem bike is to let Christ do the steering and when I think that maybe I can’t do it anymore, Christ always smiles at me and reminds me to keep pedaling.” ~Author unknown
Today, I want you to reflect on this question: do you trust in Jesus for all your needs, in every area of your life, and for anything you may encounter? If we trust in the Lord He will be there to help with decisions, temptations, illness, social situations, and whatever else we may encounter. We will find renewed trust, hope, love, and a deeper relationship with Him. In good times, in tough times, or in a year of drought, we can be like the tree by the waters that does not fear or worry; whose leaves are always green and never fails to bear fruit. (Jeremiah 17:5-10)
As we continue on our Lenten journey, let us realize that it’s all about trusting God even when we can’t see what’s ahead for us. It’s about letting go of the handlebars of our lives and allowing God to take the lead. When we place our complete trust and confidence in the Lord, we will be blessed. That’s HIS promise! That’s OUR challenge!
I don’t know how it is where you call home, but here in the greater Chicagoland area, it is COLD!!! Seriously, it is extremely cold with wind chills dancing below zero. And on top of that, it is snowing. Yes, it’s wintertime here in Illinois. But let me make something perfectly clear: I am not complaining. Compared to what is happening on the East Coast, we here in the Midwest have nothing to complain about. But there’s simply no denying the fact: it’s cold outside!
But what about the temperature on the inside? Are we cold-as-ice or feverishly-warm? Read More
Ah, the “selfie.” We just can’t seem to get enough of ourselves. So much so, that we need to constantly take pictures of ourselves in order to show everyone where we are, what we’re doing, and even what we’re wearing. We always seem to find new ways to make things all about us! The Urban Dictionary defines “selfie” in the following ways…
- A picture taken of yourself that is uploaded to a social networking website.
- The taking of a picture of yourself and posting it online because you have extremely low self-esteem and you need people to comment to tell you how good you look. In reality you just look desperate for attention. And no matter how attractive you might be, you still look pathetic.
And speaking of pathetic, reality TV star Kim Kardashian is slated to put out a selfie book in April fittingly titled “Selfish,” of 352 of the best photos taken by, well, her. I think that “Selfish” is the perfect book title and the perfect theme for our Lenten reflection. Read More
Does anyone have a need in their life? I think most of us have several important needs. I would even say that most people have one or more major needs in their lives and some may not see how their need can be met. Some people are looking at devastating family problems. Some are experiencing financial difficulty. Some are looking at a problem with a child. Some look at their lives and realize that they are lost. Some are facing a disease and wondering what lies ahead. Some are looking at their parents and realizing they won’t be here forever. I could stand here all day and not exhaust the list of problems that many of us are facing today. Read More
Many years ago, I remember watching my sons play baseball and feeling sorry for the boys whose parents tried to outcoach the coach. I can still see the confused look on the boys’ faces when their mom or dad was on one side of the field yelling to them to do one thing and coach was on the other yelling the opposite. Many times, a boy would shake his head angrily toward his parent and then do what the coach said. That angry head shaking really meant, “You are not the authority here. You need to be quiet so I can hear my coach’s voice.”
Each of us encounter many voices in our lives, and we are constantly discerning which one to listen to. Sometimes, when there is a lot of noise around us and within us, that’s not always an easy thing to do. Read More
We live in a throwaway society. We are trained to be wasteful consumers based on the messages we hear on a daily basis. From advertisements for new skinny jeans, to exotic perfume, to shoes that we really don’t need or even have room for, we are all persuaded to buy new and throwaway the old. For this reason, it’s important to challenge this throwaway mentality of always wanting more with appreciating and valuing what we truly have.
Today marks the 42nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. The more than 56 million lives lost to abortion since that 1973 decision reflect with heartbreaking magnitude what Pope Francis meant when he talked about a “throwaway culture.” Read More
When I was younger, every time I heard the phrase “harden not your hearts” (Hebrews 3:7-14) I always visualized a human heart turning into a rock. Even to this day, this image still pops into my mind. And I was never quite sure why – until now. Read More
