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What have you learned about yourself in moments when you had nowhere to run and no one to blame? I think we all dislike these times of pain. QSome even hate it. But pain is a great teacher. And you know what else is a great teacher? Being alone. If you don’t resort to your screen, TV, or some bad or lazy or addictive habit, being alone can allow feelings and thoughts that you and I should be wrestling with to actually soak in. Some of my best epiphanies arrive when I’m alone.

With all the voices pulling for attention, how do you know which one to follow? That question stays close to me because life keeps putting decisions in front of me that matter. Some feel small in the moment. Others quietly redirect everything. Over time, I have learned there is a real difference between noise and clarity. Between anxiety and peace. Between pressure and conviction. There are moments when I sense God speaking through the Holy Spirit. And people ask how I know i

What in your life feels so large right now that you honestly do not know how to get past it? Before you scroll away, stay with me for about three minutes. This is not a lecture. It is about real life, real struggle, and real hope. If you feel stuck, this may matter more than you think. Maybe it is depression that keeps pulling you back down. Thoughts you never invited but cannot silence. Being overweight and feeling stuck in patterns you have tried to change more times than y

What could go wrong in your life today that you have no control over and no time to prepare for once it starts? Maybe a pain that leads to something serious. A car wreck I did not see coming. A phone call about someone I love that changes everything. A market collapse. Or something that feels small at first but alters life quickly, like a slip and fall. The list could go on. So here is the real question I sit with. Am I ready for something unexpected to happen? Not perfectly

How much do you know about the spiritual benefit of prayer and fasting? Have you ever done it or studied it seriously? What exactly are the benefits, if any? Truth is, there are huge benefits in combining prayer and fasting, and God’s Word has quite a bit to say about it. This might surprise you a little based on how much I trust, believe, and write about the Bible, but I do not fast. And yet, I think I want to. For some reason, I am desiring it, but I want to understand it f

What do those who have already died remember about you and me? I will deviate from my Bible schedule journal today because today would have been my sister’s 73rd birthday. I suppose their memory of us depends on who they were to us, how close the relationship was, and how important we were in their lives. With the living, some memories soften over the years. Others never do. They stay attached to dates, phone calls, hospital rooms, and moments we did not know were lasts while

As a new year begins, what do you want your life to be shaped by as the days move forward? We typically look at an annual calendar and plan critical things - time home every month, family gatherings, church, community groups, travel and much more. It’s a snapshot of the year and we try to stick to it if possible. With it comes new friends, sickness, death and unexpected circumstances. Yet, we find it’s best to have a plan. Along with that it’s good to ask practical questions:

As another year comes to an end, what questions are you asking yourself about the life you just lived this past year? So, it is almost over. Another year. I always slow down around this time and take inventory. What did I get done? What goals were actually met? What was wasted or never accomplished? How far did I get ahead, if at all? Did I grow, or did I just stay busy? How did I improve, change, and mature over the last year? I keep coming back to the same six main areas of

What makes you feel secure, significant, and rock solid? Where does your confidence and hope in a successful future really come from? Be honest with yourself. Is it your money, your health, your strength, your appearance, the things you own, the people who support you, or is it God? Agur, the writer of Proverbs 30, is not someone we hear much about. He was a wise observer of life, not a king or a prophet with a platform. Just a man paying attention to how people live and what

What’s your favorite song? What song was played at your wedding? What song do you think will be heard at your funeral? My favorite song is Amazing Grace. IIt is the name of our camper and even our private road. That might tell how deeply it has settled into my life. It was the name of our boat and as we approached the dock, I always like to hear the dock master say “Welcome Amazing Grace”. Truth is, I once was blind, but now I see. I was the wretch who was saved. When I reall

What have you started strong, yet did not finish so well? We have all heard it said, it is not how you start, it is how you finish that counts. What were you once good at, but now you are not? Something is undone. Not finished. You gave up, stopped, or quietly drifted away. It is easy to do and everyone is guilty. Projects go unfinished. Health routines stop. Financial discipline is postponed. Spiritual hunger wanes. Relationships erode and become distant, strained, or lead t

When things in your life are going bad, how do you know if you are being mistreated by others or if you are simply refusing to do what you already know God is asking you to do? I spend a lot of time counseling people who are having a hard time. And yes, some truly are victims. Bad things happen to good people. People get hurt, betrayed, overlooked, and treated wrong. That is real. But if I am honest, most of the trouble I see, and most of the trouble I create in my own life a

What happens to a non-Jesus follower when they die? Many say they go to hell. But believe it or not, some today are saying no - they just die. Every so often something rises back up in Christian circles that makes you stop and think. Lately, it’s the idea that there is no eternal hell. Kirk Cameron and some others call it “annihilation”, where the unbeliever simply stops existing. Others call it a more “loving” view of God. In a sentence, Annihilation means God destroys the w

What can you do and do a crappy job at it? Have you ever met someone who simply can’t do a job halfway? Someone who, no matter what they touch, has to do it well? It’s like excellence is wired into them. It’s built in. They couldn’t slack if they tried. The Apostle John says something similar happens to a person who belongs to God. “Those who are God’s children do not continue sinning, because the new life from God remains in them. They are not able to go on sinning, because

What kind of relationships do you actually have? I mean the real ones. The friends, family, coworkers, children, neighbors and everyone else in your circle. When you slow down and think about the people in your life, who are the ones that feel close, and who are the ones you hope will become closer? I found myself thinking about this after a Christmas party Wendy and I recently hosted. I love every person who walked through our door. I even missed a few who could not make it.

What does a false teacher look like? What is a false teacher? You might be surprised. And please - be aware. This may be one of my most important shares. It comes from my scheduled Bible reading: “There used to be false prophets among God’s people, just as you will have some false teachers in your group. They will secretly teach things that are wrong, teachings that will cause people to be lost. They will even refuse to accept the Master, Jesus, who bought their freedom. So t

Why did God create man with the free will to sin, and why did He set up a world of sinners only to send His Son to be tortured and die for the very sin He allowed? I’m sure it’s a question many may have from time to time. And the more I asked, the more I realized something. I cannot figure it out. You cannot figure it out. Nobody can. God is too big for my mind and too wise for my explanations. Yet people still try. They try to build some neat little box where their intellige

What do people do with the idea that some go to heaven and others go to hell? And how do they make sense of it without feeling like God is being unfair? A lot of people wrestle with that. They also hear the NDE stories, the bright lights, the peace, the overwhelming love, and they wonder if “everyone” is going somewhere beautiful. It raises real questions. But Scripture gives a clear picture of God’s heart. God says, “I do not want anyone to die, so change your hearts and liv

What do you think really separates someone who simply professes to be a Christian from someone who is actually following Jesus with their whole life? John Mark Comer raised this question in his book “Practicing The Way.” He talked about the old Catholic distinction: “Catholic vs Practicing Catholic.” It made me ask myself, “Am I a practicing Christian?” Jesus defined it with clarity. “Everyone who hears my words and practices them is like a wise man who built his house on roc

What do you reach for in the quiet moments? When life gives you a few seconds of space, where does your attention go? And what does that reveal about what is shaping you? Do you grab your device without even thinking about it? Sometimes it is automatic. Sometimes it is boredom. Sometimes it is just habit. Can you mono-task or are you always looking at your phone? Maybe it’s better to notice someone, smile or talk to them - you know - connect. For busy people, we are so isolat

Why do you still choose wrong? I mean really think about that. How do you even define “right and wrong”? And what are you choosing in your own life that you already know is wrong? Why do you choose it? A Christian psychologist once wrote that people “choose wrong because the brain is drawn toward whatever brings the quickest relief, even if it brings long-term pain.” (Dr. Henry Cloud) Jesus’ half brother James said it clearly. “Anyone who knows the right thing to do, but does

What do you want that you do not have right now? If you rated your contentment from one to ten, with ten being truly satisfied, where would you land? Sit with that for a moment. Do you want a new partner? A new car? A new home? More money? A different look? I ask because I have lived inside this wanting. It is familiar. It is tempting. And it never seems to end. The truth is, many of the things we want could be improved through real goals, a good plan, and the discipline to w

What have you removed from your life that allows you to run more freely? What needs to be cut away from your stride so that your running can actually thrive? Please do not rush past that. Pause. What really needs to be cut away? The Apostle Paul once said, “Let us run the race that is before us and never give up. We should remove from our lives anything that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds us back.” (Hebrews 12:1 NCV) Another version says “cut away the t

What happens inside you when you pause long enough to ask the hardest question of all: Who am I really? Not who people think I am. Not the version I comfortably present. Not the productive leader, the Christian writer, the husband, the dad, or the guy who can talk about legacy and finishing well. I mean the me I see when the noise goes away. I don’t usually question who I am, but sometimes I do. I catch myself wondering if my knowledge and experience ever trick me into thinki