Category: Journal
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The broken helpers
There are times that I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing. It’s not that I wasn’t prepared. It’s not that I haven’t read about it in a book. It’s not even that I haven’t experienced a similar problem. But, when push comes to shove, in this case with these circumstances, it’s different.… Read more
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On today (of all days…)
Words: 428 Time to read: 2 minutes Daniel lived in Babylon as a slave—albeit a privileged one—in Babylon for over 80 years. He served under kings who were wicked and did not regard Jehovah God. Circumstances changed adversely in his life many times. Political winds shifted. Allegiances and alliances were formed and then destroyed. Religious liberty—and… Read more
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What more could you ask for?
What more could you ask for? Have you ever heard that question or asked it of yourself? Those that are born again by the Spirit of God have already received all the blessings that they could imagine—and so much more. We love to think of God’s blessings in quantifiable terms—a new house, a new car,… Read more
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Writers write (and even non-writers should too)
Words: 642Time to read: 3 minutes In general, I have always been a writer. I remember writing full-length novels (or at least to my imagination) when still in elementary school. I was particularly taken with mysteries. I still am. However, the key factor here is that I no longer write as I should. I know… Read more
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The fishbowl
Discouragement is a natural part of the ministry. You have ups and downs. You have good days and bad days. That is true about any profession. The ministry perhaps is unique in the fact that not only is it a job, it ought to be far more than that. It’s easy to wear your emotions… Read more
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The assembling
Words: 869 Time to read: 5 minutes The idea of Christian faith in a vacuum, independent of the local church and pastoral accountability, is altogether foreign to God’s designs for His church. The idea that we can accomplish the mandate that we have as a child of God apart from the fellowship of the local assembly… Read more
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If a tree falls…
Words: 735 Time to read: 4 minutes The easiest person to deceive is yourself. The lies that we tell ourselves are manifold and quite often lead to difficult choices. No one makes us believe the lies, we just choose to buy into them. Often they’re convoluted to disguise personal failure, save face, and maintain the charade… Read more
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The corrective lens
Words: 612 Time to read: 3 minutes We are living in days when you need to have your biblical position figured out. You don’t have to be a theologian. But you do have to know your position. You don’t have to be a martyr, but you do need to know that you’d die for your beliefs.… Read more
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The benefit of seeing the harvest firsthand
I’ve always loved to travel. I haven’t traveled extensively necessarily, but I’ve been to enough places to know that I love the feeling of knowing that I will likely encounter a new person, place, or idea. I’m usually a mess just days before traveling—thinking about a million and one details that I’ve already thought about… Read more
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A priorities problem
Words: 1167 Time to read: 6 minutes What are your priorities? We all have them and far too often we confuse them. It’s easy to conflate what we need and what we want. We want to sit on the couch all day and do nothing but we need to contribute to society, even if for purely… Read more
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What’s holding you back?
Words: 218 Time to read: 1 minute I’m just writing from the heart. I have topics that I believe to be of the utmost importance but I aim more to write about what’s moving me more than anything else. I have a project that I’m working on now regarding joy. I am excited about it and… Read more
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Life’s biggest questions for little minds
Words: 361 Time to read: 2 minutes The big questions are important and perhaps never more so than to young hearts and minds. Impressionable and open to tender and loving care, our children are a gift from God and we should not be afraid to engage in the big questions. Sometimes, the questions seem to be… Read more
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The big questions
Words: 563 Time to read: 3 minutes Is there a God? Where did we come from? Does that God reveal Himself to man? Does He have a purpose for me? You know, these and a million more—the big questions. In a society that is permeated with trivialities, we tend to believe that the big questions don’t… Read more
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What do to when the cat dies
Words: 696 Time to read: 4 minutes If evangelism is the heartbeat of Jesus, then discipleship ought to be the breath that sustains the local church. This is exhausting, demanding work but is an absolute necessity to bring believers to maturity in Christ. Discipleship is often a seemingly trivial conversation (to you, dear mature believer) or… Read more
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A living sacrifice
Words: 874Time to read: 5 minutes Perhaps one of the most difficult decisions in the Christian walk is when we have to yield the good we do for Christ so that we can give Him our best. In the Gospel ministry, you may have surrendered. You may have given up on your dreams, plans, and… Read more
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Satan’s most astute device
Words: 823 Time to read: 4 minutes One of the most effective devices that Satan has in his war against the Christian is bitterness. We begin to resent spiritual authority and magnify hurts, perceived or realized, that contribute to calcifying the heart towards the soft and tender voice of God. This is not to say that… Read more
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Reading out loud
Words: 636 Time to read: 3 minutes I watched a man read over 80 pages a minute a few weeks ago on YouTube. The quality content over there is really something. I have watched several self-help gurus explain how to read multiple pages (even if not 80) per minute. Certainly, there is an endemic issue in… Read more
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Daily writing
Words: 689 Time to read: 4 minutes The biggest challenge of writing is not the writing, it’s the discipline of writing. Recently I saw a chart of some 30 famous authors and their daily writing habits. I think the biggest takeaway for me was not so much the writing but the discipline. One author stated that… Read more
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The measure of faithfulness
Words: 1434 Time to read: 8 minutes I recently had a conversation that was thought provoking well beyond the scope of what we were actually discussing. That you can have that type of conversation and stimulate further thought is challenging and engaging. This was a veritable trip down memory lane, recounting colleagues and fellow students from… Read more
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Whose justice?
Words: 348 Time to read: 2 minutes We live in a world that clamors for justice. This is largely due to the mentality that we are all victims and in some form or other we are due something to make up for the wrong done to us. The greater issue is that while we hear much… Read more
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Be an example
Words: 364 Time to read: 2 minutes Paul exhorted Timothy to be an example. Timothy was younger than perhaps the majority of the church. Yet, God had given him the solemn task of leading others to Christ and spiritual maturity. This is not always an easy task, especially for someone young in age. Perhaps Timothy had… Read more
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Faithful to the faith
Words: 351 Time to read: 2 minutes One day we are going to pass off the scene. The legacy that we leave behind of faith and faithfulness will be far more enduring than the material possessions we bequeath, regardless of their value intrinsic or otherwise. Both are essential ingredients. Faith is not merely believing in vagaries… Read more
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A revival of thirsting hearts
Words: 225 Time to read: 1 minute We would do well to remember that the doctrines of devils foretold by the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul are active and becoming ever more influential in the religious landscape. Often I am astounded by the lack of spiritual wisdom in promoting certain leaders and ideas. Not that… Read more
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The benefit of writing
Words: 352 Time to read: 2 minutes Any style of writing, but especially persuasive writing, is truly conveying your innermost thought and putting yourself out there. There’s a great chance that what you wrote will be critiqued, misunderstood, or misapplied. That fear however cannot be the reason not to write. It’s that way in any domain… Read more
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A stalwart commitment to His Word
Words: 224 Time to read: 1 minute A stalwart commitment to God’s Word and right doctrine is essential to navigate the difficult days in which we live. This commitment exceeds a 45-minute sermon or any amount of time spent in an organized church setting. While many pulpits have turned into mere platforms for moralizing and inspiring,… Read more
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Successful ministry
Words: 249 Time to read: 1 minute Successful ministry is not always measured in the visible result of the work. Many times it’s the invisible growth and personal faithfulness that counts. I can’t help but think of the Old Testament prophets. These men were social pariahs proclaiming God’s infallible word to a rebellious people who were… Read more
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Ready to receive
Words: 373 Time to read: 2 minutes I remember hearing that I’d be the same person in 10 years except for the books I’d read and the people I’d met. I can’t say that I am an interesting person but I suppose I’ve met some interesting people (some more than others). I can’t say that I’ve… Read more
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Finding joy in Jesus
Words: 97 Time to read: 1 minute Finding joy is not so much a search as it is a retreat. Resting in the person and completed work of Christ, we can confidently look to His perfect sacrifice on Calvary as the means to attaining not only the peace of God but the very God of peace.… Read more
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Paralysis of analysis
Words: 545 Time to read: 3 minutes I’m always looking to improve my productivity and find ways to better remember things to do. That’s saying a lot because I’m not very organized by default and over the years I’ve adapted various ways to put it all together. Iterating to find the right solution for me as… Read more
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The alchemy of joy
Words: 83 Time to read: < 1 minute The winning formula for joy—Jesus, others, you—is not so powerful because of who all is involved, granted all three must be included. In this equation, however, the order is far more crucial than any other aspect (and not just because it’s a handy acrostic). If Jesus is not… Read more
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Joy unspeakable
Words: 1207 Time to read: 6 minutes If we will indeed be known by our fruits, then we should carefully observe the fruit which we should be producing. The Apostle Paul gives us a list of 9 fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5. I understand that this is more of a cluster rather than individual… Read more
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Where’s your thinking place?
If you want to think you have to put yourself in a position to do so consistently. With today’s noise, it does not happen by default. I’ve had a number of places in which I like to think over the years. Mowing the grass was always my favorite as a teen and younger adult. I… Read more
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Right in front of us
The past is the past. We cannot change it–for the better or the worse. Satan’s greatest ploy is to deceive us into regretting our past mistakes and anticipating our future opportunities. Live each and every moment for the honor and glory of Christ. There is no greater opportunity than the one that is right before… Read more
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The overflow
It’s rare to find someone who truly cares and flips the switch on or off. It’s rare to find someone who makes a profound difference in the life of another who is doing it just 9 to 5. It’s rare to encounter someone who is impacting others who is doing it simply for the paycheck.… Read more
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All you need is a spark…
Waiting on the spark of inspiration every time you go to accomplish something is a surefire way to end up with little to no progress in the overall scheme of life. You will not feel inspired every moment of every day to do what needs to be done. You may perhaps feel a tinge of… Read more
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The great work of prayer
“[Satan] is much more afraid of our prayer than of our work.” So Elizabeth Elliot summarizes the whole thrust of the spiritual battle in which we are engaged. It is far easier to engage in work because there can usually be immediate tangible results as opposed to the often soul-searching labor that is prayer. We… Read more
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Here and now
It appears that the parent of a young child is always tired and exhausted. It’s difficult and at times exasperating work being a parent. You do your dead-level best to train and discipline and at the most inconvenient of times your children decide this would be the best time to test your patience and perhaps… Read more
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In the eternal view
There’s a popular concept to take the long view. Don’t settle for doing things necessarily more cost-effective in the moment, because believe it or not, it may actually be more expensive in the long run. To me the first thing that comes to mind are shoes. Not inherently obvious is the cost of the shoe… Read more
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The decadence of the modern church
When we put ourselves in a position of attempting to bear every ministry burden on our shoulders, we open ourselves to frustration and weight that God never created us to bear nor are we capable of bearing. We should always be looking for a way to train others in the areas in which we serve.… Read more
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The only One that matters
Our human nature clamors for recognition of contribution. Our motivation in the Gospel ministry cannot be which conference I will be asked to speak at, or what monetary gift I will receive, or how ministry partners will perceive what I’m doing (or not). I can have a large ministry. I can have a large influence.… Read more
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Don’t wait for the launch
The sooner we can get our ideas out of the ideasphere and into reality the better. Don’t wait until your idea is 100% ready. It probably won’t work 100% the first time anyway. Iterate. Time and time again. Just keep testing the ideas. Plod on. The more work we create, the more likely we are… Read more
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An alluring substitute
The Lord saved me when I was 6 years old and called me into the ministry when I was 9. Not only did I receive my call to ministry at that early age, but I was already well guided in the direction of Brazil. The Lord had put 2 Brazilians in our church at the… Read more
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Hanging on to hurt
Do you want to hang on to this hurt? I’d asked that question many times before. The response I received this time startled me somewhat, “I’ll have to think about it.” I may have graciously (or not so) recovered from that response. I didn’t even know people were so willing to hang on to something… Read more
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Striking gold
There is a tendency when someone strikes gold to automatically look and say, “Of course that was a success.” It’s easy to look at the successes in the 20/20 of hindsight. It’s easy to behold a truly moving painting, hear a profound and eloquent speech, read a masterful work, and forget that that painter, speaker,… Read more
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Moving forward
Yesterday, I didn’t write. My goal is to write every single day. Even just a few hundred words. The magic is not the inspiration that will see me through to the end of a project. It’s in the daily task of doing what I already know I need to be doing so that I can… Read more
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Good enough
The lie that we are not good enough is one of the most effective that Satan can disseminate. Every lie is based on a truth. Not the whole. And certainly nothing but the truth. But a truth nonetheless. I really am not good enough. Examine the lives of the disciples and you’ll see that these… Read more
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I’ll get there…
I haven’t written extensively. But I am writing. It’s not very good. It’s not even everything I want it to be. But I’m doing it. It’s in the little gains of the consistency that makes and breaks life. Eventually, I’ll write a good story. Or a good enough story anyway. Eventually, I’ll write a truly… Read more
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He is not here
Matthew 28:6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. On that early morning adventure to the tomb, the disciples did not find a body. Instead, they found an empty tomb that had been carefully ordered. The angel told Mary that Christ had risen… Read more
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Alone
One of the greatest lies that Satan can sell you is that you are alone. That no one cares. That no one experiences the crippling doubts, fears, and discouragement that you’re bearing right now. It’s all smoke and mirrors. Not only are you carrying that load, but so has many a faithful Christian down through… Read more
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(Not) all in a day’s work
What can you get done in a day? The possibilities certainly seem endless. Still, there are numerous factors. Calendar. Meetings. Interruptions. Conversations. Ideas. Eating. More meetings. Commuting. Coffee–or two—or three. But each day brings its own set of unique challenges and opportunities. And as creatures of order (at least to some degree) we like closure.… Read more
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Duplicity in me
Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Double-mindedness is a state which can and does occur all too often in my life. I know to do good. But as Paul so relatably states, “The good that I would I do not. The evil that I would not, that I do.”… Read more
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Satisfied with Him
Psalm 103:5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.Psalm 107:9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. We are easily cumbered with the satisfaction that the world so readily and cheaply offers. To be sure, there can be no satisfaction… Read more
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Starting here and now
I certainly do not think myself a good writer. I have certainly always enjoyed writing. What has spurred me to write is not so much some great truth I need to expound, but the simple daily task of writing. Processing thoughts and putting them on paper–or a blog. I certainly prefer writing and journaling in… Read more