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Book of the Month: Schola Caritatis: Learning the Rhythms of God's Amazing Love

  Starting a new feature for the next several months called Book of the Month.  I will present one of my books and tell you a little of the ...

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

being still

 “Be still and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
(Psalm 46:10)

Why is “be still and know that I am God” so hard?
Is it because I'm afraid he can’t do his work without me,
Or is it because I’m afraid he can?

Sunday, July 6, 2025

powerlessness

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8)

When will we ever get it through our heads that apart from Jesus we are utterly powerless?  We keep trying to do it on our own, but we just keep “missing the mark” (the definition of the Greek word for sin).  And we will continue to miss the mark until we surrender our attempts to do it ourselves and submit to the power of Jesus to claim the victory for us that we can never achieve for ourselves.  We can’t, but he can.  Lord Jesus, have mercy on us!

Lord Jesus, maybe I keep failing because I keep trying to do it on my own.  I am powerless to do anything but miss the mark apart from you.  Lord Jesus, have mercy on me!


Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Sunday, June 22, 2025

stop

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.  On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.  For in six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day.  Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:8-11, ESV)

“Stop means stop.  Stop worrying, stop spinning, stop striving, stop being anxious. Stop your mind from constantly working.  Stop planning, stop strategizing, stop scheming, stop jockeying.  Stop and find your rest in Me.  Be still and know that I am God.”  

Friday, June 13, 2025

demolition

if the house
i have been building
all these years
is mine and not yours
it will come to nothing

it must be demolished
it must be torn down
brick by brick
so that your house
might take its place

demolition is
a significant part
of union with you
for it changes the
substance and direction
of our lives

it stops the climbing
and starts the descent
it tears down strongholds
and rewires thinking
it changes old patterns
and kills old habits

in your wisdom
and by your grace
demolition is always
about transformation
which is your greatest
desire for us

Sunday, June 8, 2025

fire

gather the wood
arrange the kindling
place the tinder
provide the spark and
give it room to breathe

is the fire of the Spirit
really any different
we must set the wood
arrange the kindling
place the tinder
and await the spark
ignition comes
only from God
our job is simply to
arrange and tend

but we must not
forget the space
fire needs air
it must have room
or it will not burn
give the Spirit
space to breathe
and the fire will
burn brightly