Faith, Family, and the Beauty of Everyday Life
“The LORD watches over all who love him” (Psalm 145:20 NIV). When God fills you to overflowing, you never need to fear the future. His goodness and mercy are with you every day. You’re following the Good Shepherd, and he is out in front of you with his rod and staff. And at the back of... Continue Reading →
“How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey” (Psalm 119:103 NLT).. After my wife Kay and I got engaged, we did something unusual: We moved to opposite sides of the world. She moved to Birmingham, Alabama, to work in an inner-city church, and I moved to Nagasaki, Japan, to plant a church.... Continue Reading →
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4 NIV). You may not be in the valley of the shadow of death right now, but you may be in another valley. These are hard places on your journey, where it’s easy to doubt or... Continue Reading →
“You are my friends if you do what I command” (John 15:14 NLT). Jesus said in John 15:14, “You are my friends if you do what I command” (NLT).You can’t say you love Jesus and then go live like the devil. You can’t say you’re a Christian and then keep on living a self-centered life. You can’t say... Continue Reading →
“Some of these people have missed the most important thing in life—they don’t know God” (1 Timothy 6:21 TLB). The key to a friendship with God is deciding whose friendship you want most.You don’t have time for everybody to be your friend. You’ve got to decide who you want most to be your best friend. The... Continue Reading →
“Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence him. With them alone he shares the secrets of his promises” (Psalm 25:14 TLB). If you want to build a deep relationship with God, you have to slow down and be quiet.Friendship with God is like any other friendship—you have to make time for it. If you... Continue Reading →
The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life” (Galatians 6:7-8 The Message). Selfishness... Continue Reading →
“We must bear the ‘burden’ of being considerate of the doubts and fears of others” (Romans 15:2b TLB). Listening is probably the most important skill in building friendships and relationships, because you can’t love people without listening to them.There’s a big difference between hearing and listening. You can hear something and not really be listening. I... Continue Reading →
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7 TLB). When we’re full of fear and anxiety, we don’t get close to each other. We back off from each other. We’re afraid of being rejected, manipulated, vulnerable, hurt, or used. All of these fears... Continue Reading →
“But if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God's Son, cleanses us from every sin. If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:7-8 NCV). In Christian... Continue Reading →
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