As parents, and now grandparents, Letty and I have had the honor of teaching our kids how to pray. The best times of prayer come at night as we thank God for the day and ask for His protection over us as we sleep. Every now and then the kids get a little flippant or … Continue reading Remember Who You Are Talking With

One of the ways I am praying during my Personal Worship Time is the Lord’s Prayer. But I’m praying it in a particular way that makes it a rich time: I pray one phrase and then I pause. During that pause I reflect on what I just said and what it means to me. It … Continue reading Pausing in the Lord’s Prayer

I mentioned recently that “humility is the best way to live our lives.” In writing that, I want to make something perfectly clear: humility is NOT modesty. I think people get the two confused, as if they are one and the same. But they’re not. Far from it. I think it was Dallas Willard (author … Continue reading The Secret Pride of Modesty

I had just finished doing my elliptical workout in record time (don’t ask me how slow it was!) As I lay on the ab bench, staring at the gym rafters, I was laboring to find my wind again! How thankful I was for God’s gift of air!! It was then I had one of those … Continue reading Exercising Eternal Life Now

I’m going to share something really embarrassing today. Actually, I’m kind of hoping no one reads this blog; which is why I’ve tucked it in the middle of the week. But I feel it needs to be told because it might help some of you. Painful as it is, it sure helps me to tell … Continue reading A Voice in My Head

On the Christian radio station the other day, I heard one of the DJ’s saying, “You can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving.” That is so true. There are many reasons why people give of their time, energy, and money. Some people do give out of love. They are moved by a … Continue reading You Can’t Love Without Giving

The other day, during a Personal Worship Time, I reflected on the most used title of Jesus, “Lord Jesus Christ.” As I looked at this title, which the apostles use over 50 times in the New Testament, I realized that each of those words has a special meaning of how it relates to our lives. … Continue reading Lord – Jesus – Christ

When I started to reflect seriously on the Psalms a few months ago, one tiny little concept in Psalm 1 grabbed my attention: “sitting in the seat of mockers.” Blessed is the one who does NOT sit in that seat. I wondered: what does that really mean? The obvious definition of a mocker is someone … Continue reading Getting Out of the Seat of Mockers

Usually when the Bible mentions “rocks” or “rock,” it is a positive concept. The wise man built his house upon the Rock (Matt 7). The LORD is our Rock (various Psalms). We are spiritual rocks (stones) built into a spiritual house (1 Peter 2: 5). And Christ is the rock (stone) the “builders rejected” that … Continue reading Wrong Kind of Rocks

For today’s blog, I want to share a little early morning “pep talk” from an Orthodox Archbishop, Anthony Bloom (taken from “Beginning to Pray,” pp. 75-77). It will get you going! “Awake in the morning and the first thing you do, thank God for it, even if you don’t feel particularly happy about the day … Continue reading A Whole Life Worship Pep Talk