It was the end of the school year, fifth grade, no less. A year of “lasts.” Last talent show, last STARS concert, last science fair. Last school lunch with my daughter in the cafeteria surrounded by her giggling friends. Sniff, sniff. One last assignment and then off to middle school. Spring fever was in high gear and my daughter wanted to rush through her work and be done with it....
I have been turning five words over and over in my mind. They are nestled in the middle of the third chapter of Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi: I want to know Christ (v. 3:10). God has been teaching me something profound in those five words, so let’s read them one more time, slowly. I want to know Christ....
In John’s Gospel, Jesus uses a metaphor that rings true for anyone with a green thumb. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener,” He says. “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” Jesus goes on to explain that we are His branches. If we want a fruit-producing life, we must...
Each year around the holidays I usually receive a few invitations to share at various women’s ministry events; invitations I accept eagerly and with deep gratitude. I just love to talk about Jesus. Honestly, He’s my absolute favorite. I start praying for the event well in advance, and those prayers usually go something like this:...
With the start of the New Year, many Christians like to put in place some sort of structure to help hold them accountable to the personal habit of spending time in the Word. I’m a big fan of structure and accountability. I need them myself in any area of my life where the good behavior that ought to happen habitually does not. But just as not all diet and exercise plans are equally beneficial or...
My journey at Dallas Theological Seminary has landed me square in the middle of perhaps the most neglected, misunderstood, and even avoided book in the entire Bible. Welcome to Leviticus. The book is best known for its laws against sexual immorality, its gruesome sacrifices, and its bizarre differentiations between that which is clean verses that which is unclean....