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Don’t Mind the Mess. Jesus Doesn’t.

Don’t Mind the Mess. Jesus Doesn’t.
I had an aunt who was a neat freak.  There's no other way to put, and she would agree, if through gritted teeth and tight-lipped smile.  I have a memory of visiting her home and my wife-to-be mistakenly walking into the freshly vacuumed family room.  My aunt shrieked with panic as my betrothed's socked foot…
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Peacemakers vs Peacekeeping: Dealing with Conflict

Peacemakers vs Peacekeeping: Dealing with Conflict
Do you cringe at the thought of conflict? Do you often go to great lengths to avoid conflict at all costs? Do you tend to appease when you probably should confront? You may be a peacekeeper. There is a difference between the peacemaker and the peacekeeper. Peacekeepers will go to great lengths to avoid or…
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Gratitude: Spiritual Practice Series

Gratitude is more than just saying please and thank you! Gratitude is the proceeds thankfulness. Gratitude is more of an awareness where thankfulness is more thoughtful and action that flows from gratitude. The thank-yous are a social response flowing from gratitude. Gratitude is something we cultivate within ourselves as we begin to shift our thinking from…
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Blind Faith – Merton’s Prayer

Blind Faith – Merton’s Prayer
ncertaintyThe following is a prayer by Thomas Merton found in his book entitled Thoughts in Solitude.  Thomas Merton was an influential 20th-century Catholic author, popular spiritual writer, poet, author and social activist.  A Trappist monk of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, in Kentucky, Merton was a prolific writer penning over 60 books and many essays.…
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Christ as a Light – A Celtic Prayer

Christ as a Light – A Celtic Prayer
The following is an old Celtic prayer.  It has been called the Christ Canticle and was often a part of Celtic Christian liturgy.  I find this prayer to be a great way to start my day, especially when the day ahead could be stressful. I appreciate the reminder of  Jesus' word that He will never…
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Living Awake!

Living Awake!
The idea that God can be found in all things has been a rich and welcomed renovation in my life.  It is the practice of living awake.  I am coming to understand that the mystery that is God cannot be contained by my thoughts and the structures I use to think about God.  Neither do…
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The Hard Work of Christian Unity

The Hard Work of Christian Unity
[A guest post by Dr Steve Crosby - http://stevecrosby.org] There’s an old saying that if we ever saw sausage being made, we would never eat sausage! Saying you favor Christian unity is like saying you love sausage.  Anyone can wax eloquent about the philosophical virtues of ideal sausage. The question is, do you have the stomach for…
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Are you a Lukewarm Christian?

Are you a Lukewarm Christian?
The city of Laodicea was founded around 260 BC, in the Lycus River valley in what is now Turkey. It was a bustling city known for its great wealth from medicine, textiles/wool, and finance. It was so wealthy that when it suffered a major earthquake in 60 AD, they refused the support of the Empire…
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The difference between Coaching and Spiritual Direction?

The difference between Coaching and Spiritual Direction?
What an excellent question and while volumes have been written on Spiritual Direction and life coaching, it is important to understand the two are not the same thing as if Coaching is a more contemporary term for Spiritual Direction. Coaching Christian Life Coaching can be an incredible tool in real life of everyday people, but…
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Herman Who? Bible Study with Integrity

Herman Who? Bible Study with Integrity
We watch the sun rise in the east and set in the west, and on this basis alone one could understandably believe the sun must orbit the earth. Of course, Copernicus settled this for us in the 16th-century proving that the earth orbits the sun but isn't it true that our point of view influences…
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