Hopefully in Love

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. 1 John 4:16 (NIV) *** *** *** ***   Today’s guest devotional is provided by Jon Walker –   We were singing when I noticed the typo. The lyrics to the praise tune were supposed to be, “I’m hopelessly in love with you.” But someone accidentally typed: “I’m hopefully in love with you.”   The first suggests an abandonment to love: “God, I’m in this relationship head-to-toe, no matter where it leads.”   The second suggests tentativeness: “Gee, I hope I can love you God.”   We …

God Loving Us Perfectly

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ …. Colossians 2:9-10 (NIV)   *** *** *** ***   Today’s guest devotional is provided by Jon Walker –   Perfect love desires communion, the sharing of life together, and so it cannot be expressed from a distance. God so perfectly loved the world that he came up close in Christ, stepping into the brokenness of our lives (1 John 1:1-3):   · Into our emptiness, Jesus brings fullness and completion (Colossians 2:9-10). · Into our deficit, Jesus brings …

Movie Review: Slumdog Millionaire

This film may be this year’s “Pan’s Labyrinth”, or “Life is Beautiful”. A movie from overseas, directed by–oddly–Danny Boyle (“Sunshine”, “28 Days Later”, “Trainspotting”), that transcends where it’s from. Forget the subtitles, forget the fact that it takes place in Mumbai. This is a story about people that we’ve seen in our own backyards–even if they are tucked away in the bad neighborhoods. We’ve seen the rags-to-riches stories. And like so many cases, we blur the lines between our heroes and our villains in stories about rising up. But the villains in this story are multiple, and at times, subtle …

We Are Desperate for You

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Be gracious to me and hear my prayer. Psalm 4:1 (NASB)   *** *** *** *** Today’s guest devotional is provided by Jon Walker –   Lord, we’re desperate for you. We’re bunched up in confusion, moving by impulse and fear, flitting here and there like a frenzied flock caught in the wilderness of the far country. We are here! We are here! And we know you hear. You’ve heard us before; you’ve swept in and saved us from our hopeless paralysis. Do …

Spiritual Growth Is Not a Private Matter

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25 (NLT) *** *** *** ***   Some of us hesitate to commit ourselves to developing an intentional plan of growth that requires accountability or relationship with others because we believe spiritual growth is a personal and private matter. We choose to believe each person develops in his or her own way at his or her …

Spiritual Growth Must Be Intentional

Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:12-13 (NLT) *** *** *** ***   The truth is that growth in the human soul requires a commitment to grow. A person must want to grow, decide to grow, and make an effort to grow. Spiritual growth begins with a decision. It doesn’t have to be a complex decision, but it does have to be sincere. When Jesus’ followers decided to choose his way, …

Does Spiritual Growth Just Happen?

You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. Hebrews 5:12 (NLT) *** *** *** ***   Millions of Christians have grown older without ever growing up; they act as though spiritual growth is automatic. They may have a plan to save for retirement. They may have a plan for sending their kids to college. But they don’t have a strategy for enriching their souls. They leave the single …

Lessons in Contentment

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. Philippians 4:11 (NIV)   *** *** *** ***   Here are four steps to develop contentment in your life.   1. Stop comparing yourself to others. When you compare your life with someone else’s, the only place it can lead is toward discontentment. There will always be people who appear to be better off than you, but you don’t know their real circumstances.   I recall counseling a husband many years ago, and he said he wished his wife could be more like so-and-so, and he named a woman in our …

Four Benefits of Putting Margin in Your Life

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)   *** *** *** ***   Here are four immediate benefits you’ll receive by building margin into your life:   1. Peace of mind. When you’re not always hurrying and worrying, you have time to think, time to relax, time to enjoy life. We had a …

Movie Review: Doubt

“Doubt” is most talked about because of the acting, and that’s just. This is what you’d probably call an “actor’s” movie. These are movies with typically weak or thin plot lines, and only serves to promote the acting jobs of A-list actors/actresses who want Oscars. I think that may be a bit unfair to “Doubt” because the movie is *about* something, not just an excuse to put some of the best actors together in the same movie. Now, that does not mean that the acting isn’t superior to the story, but the themes of invulnerability, the power of conviction over …