This week we are starting a four-week series on “Faith at Work.” We are honored to have Tim Lee, staff worker for the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) and long-time campus pastor for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, to be our guest blogger in this series. (Tim is also my oldest son – yep, I’m a … Continue reading Faith at Work, part 1

Lent season begins in two days, with the observance of Ash Wednesday on March 2nd. And I’m really looking forward to it. Up until recently, Lent was not a big deal for me. In fact, I thought of it as more of a religious distraction to the Christian faith. Being raised a Protestant Christian and … Continue reading Why Lent?

I was thinking about prayer the other day and something just popped into my mind: I use a lot of “periods” when I pray to God. When I say “period,” I’m talking about the little dot that’s at the end of a sentence. When I write out my prayers they tend to be sentences that … Continue reading The Punctuation of Prayer

Happy Valentine’s Day! You know, it was exactly 44 years ago that Letty and I gave each other something on this day. We were college students at USC. We just knew each other as friends at that time, but I was getting very interested in her. So, I gave her a little “Ziggy” (the cartoon character) Valentine’s … Continue reading A Love for the Ages

I love spy thrillers! Whether it’s James Bond, Jack Ryan, Jason Bourne or Sidney Bristow (remember the “Alias” series in the early 2000’s?), I get intrigued by all the twists and turns, moles and double agents, evil plots and counter plots. In spy thrillers, the most important thing that the hero needs to discover is … Continue reading The Endgame of Biblical Transformation

If you haven’t noticed it from some of my previous devotionals, I’ll just outright confess it to you now: I am a movie buff. I like movies a LOT. But more than just watching movies for entertainment, I really like movies because they help me to think deeper. In some ways, I view movies as … Continue reading Renewing the Mind and Transformation

I had a good conversation with a friend the other day. She was really excited about some new and exciting stuff she was going to add to her life. She wanted to serve others in new ways. She wanted to do new things to improve her relationships. And she wanted to start some new spiritual … Continue reading Transformation: Making Room for the New by Getting Rid of the Old

When you hear the word “surrender,” what comes to mind? Giving up? Waving the white flag? Losing? Does the idea of surrender give you a sense that it’s something bad and to be avoided? But surrender, in the right context, can be the best thing you and I could do. If we were fighting in … Continue reading Surrender and Transformation

A man went hiking one day near a steep cliff. He slipped on a rock and fell off the cliff, falling down the 3,000 foot drop. Fortunately, there was a branch that he grabbed on the way down. Desperate, he cried out, “Help! Help! Is there anyone up there who can help me?” He heard … Continue reading Trusting God for Transformation

Happy New Year! I hope you and yours have had a joyous holiday season, filled with meaningful experiences with family and celebrating the Coming of our Lord. As we turn into the new year, I find that January 1st is a natural “reset button,” giving us the opportunity of making our lives better than before. We … Continue reading Self-Change vs Transformation