I’ve been thinking about the highlights of my week. The things I look forward to. The things that get me out of bed in the morning. I feel blessed to have a good number of those things I can add to my list. A meal out with my wife Helen. Cheering for my daughter Hannah … Continue reading Contemplative Pentecostal?
Heart Goals
So many of the goals we set for ourselves are numerical and quantifiable. In my church-world, we can end up measuring success by the ABC’s of attendance, buildings and cash. In your world, success may be determined by sales, results and scores. Productivity. Performance. Efficiency. The problem is, for so many of us, success in … Continue reading Heart Goals
100 Days
God doesn’t waste anything. At the start of the first COVID-19 lockdown, uncertain how to communicate with the church I love, I decided to broadcast an online devotion each evening, thinking I might do this for a week or two at maximum. It turned out that I prepared 100 short talks and delivered them ‘live’ … Continue reading 100 Days
Willpower or Want-power?
Willpower is not enough. In our efforts to change, willpower only takes us so far. I’ve found that willpower diminishes throughout the day. I start the day with good intentions. I employ my willpower in the morning and I eat muesli with fruit. By the end of the day my willpower-tank empties and I’m eating … Continue reading Willpower or Want-power?
Home
The shepherds returned home. The heavens had opened. The sounds of the sky had revealed the choir of jubilant angels. The Messiah had come. Born in humility. The shepherds were the first to be told. And then they returned home. No speaking tour of the surrounding regions to explain their unique supernatural revelation. No grasping … Continue reading Home
The Disordered Heart
Over the years I’ve spoken and written much about the human heart because I’ve become convinced that everything we do and say is a result of the heart’s overflow. I usually describe what it takes to form a healthy heart, and I’ve rarely focused on the signs of a disordered heart. But in the same … Continue reading The Disordered Heart