What is Deep Joy anyway? Sometimes it’s easier to explain what a thing is not, so let’s start there. Deep Joy is not happiness. Deep Joy is so much better than mere happiness. Happiness is situational. When circumstances are great, we’re happy. When they’re not, we’re not happy. Happiness is based on circumstances, and therefore […]
I always thought morality, integrity, and character were all the same thing. Turns out they’re not. I just read an exceptional book called The Noticer Returns by Andy Andrews that has taught me the difference. It’s an important distinction. Our culture is suffering because the church doesn’t know the difference. Morality vs Character I believe […]
[Author’s Note: Many thanks to Elijah House. Many of the concepts in this post are from their teaching on The Spiritual Development of the Believer.] There’s a part of the Gospel that we too often neglect. It’s uncomfortable, and our modern world is all about catering to our comfort. But this forgotten part of the […]
We are in a holy moment. It’s one of those times when heaven bends near to earth. If we don’t miss it, our actions now can affect great change on the earth. A Daniel 9 Moment Daniel 9 is one of the most mind-blowing chapters in the Bible. Because they abandoned the Lord, the people […]
Failure is a part of life, and how we handle it reveals our character. I’m not talking about the iterative failures, like practicing a skill and getting gradually better. I’m not even talking about moral failures or sin, although how we handle that also reveals our character. I’m talking about the “can’t get there from […]
There’s a deception going around the Body of Christ that breaks my heart. We have seen so many lives ruined because people believe this lie. To some degree or another, this lie is at the start of every deceptive road a Christian goes down. “I Know It’s Sin, But I’ll Be Ok” Abortion-minded clients come […]
The most dangerous contagion in our society right now isn’t covid-19. It’s fear. It’s actually more contagious and can be more deadly. Here are 3 great ways to hack your fear and keep it from spinning into overdrive and irrationally controlling you. First, though, remember fear does have its rightful place. It’s a God-given emotion. […]
This is Easter week, a.k.a. Resurrection Sunday. This is the single greatest, most significant event in human history. When Jesus rose from the dead, he shattered it all. One thing all the different human systems of morality, government, and ethics absolutely agree on is that once you die, you’re supposed to stay dead. Period. That’s […]
In the midst of COVID-19, the world right now is living in fear. Hoarding toilet paper, or anything else, is living in fear. That’s not God. However ignoring the danger, like some churches are doing and meeting in large groups anyway, is not God either. Fear, in and of itself, is not bad. Fear is […]
Janet and I were at a local restaurant recently. The waiter wasn’t complaining, but it’d been a really lousy Sunday. He was struggling with some things in his personal life, his customers had been grouchy, and he really needed the money he didn’t get it in tips that day. It was his worst shift ever. […]