Category Archives: Spiritual Nuggets

Treating the Symptom I regularly predict that something will only take me an hour when it actually ends up taking two. I’m beginning to think that this is a sign of a larger issue: the tendency to underestimate the severity … Continue reading →

Forgive, Forget, and Comfort There is a subtle type of grudge that festers. When we extend forgiveness, the challenge isn’t necessarily in the moment of reconciliation. It’s extending that moment and letting it permeate the interactions that follow. In 2 … Continue reading →

Your Inner Self “Did I leave the burner on?” “Did I lock the door?” “I feel like I’m forgetting something.” Forgetfulness is a syndrome we all experience at one time or another. Many of our forgetful moments end up being minor inconveniences. … Continue reading →

The Final Say Having the final say in an argument is more satisfying than I’d like to admit. By default, I’d like to be right, even if I have to be pedantic. I wish I could say this was limited … Continue reading →

Moving On “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Turn now and move on” (Deuteronomy 1:6–7). We have a terrible tendency to stay in one place or keep doing one activity longer than we should. Our meetings run long, … Continue reading →

Gifts and Grace “Yahweh spoke to Moses on the desert plains of Moab beyond the Jordan across Jericho, saying, ‘Command the children of Israel that they give to the Levites from the inheritance of their property cities to live in; … Continue reading →

Taunting Death My best friend’s mother, a dear family friend, died of Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS). Over the span of three years, the disease attacked her nerve cells, starting with her hands and feet and moving inward to her vital … Continue reading →

Prayer and Hope for the Anxious Anxiety, depression, and fear aren’t part of the Christian life—or the ideal Christian life, anyway. But for those who struggle with these emotions, this tidy concept isn’t helpful or true. What is helpful is … Continue reading →

Risk: Oversold and Underplayed The fears of the psalmist are not our fears today, and the fact that they aren’t should bother us. The psalmist remarks, “Do not give me over to the desire of my enemies, because false witnesses … Continue reading →

Tongues, Prophecy, and the Thing We Call Love Nearly anything good can become unproductive if it’s abused or misused. Paul is all about embracing the side of spirituality that can seem a bit wacky to us today—gifts of tongues and … Continue reading →

Grace and Favor Usually when we seek someone’s goodwill, we emphasize our own winning traits or accomplishments. Our supervisor, significant other, or family members are barraged with a list of our actions in an attempt to get the other to … Continue reading →

Thoughtless Iconoclasm When we learn something new about life and faith, it’s tempting to use our knowledge and freedom to tear down religious constructs and artifices—exposing truth in a way that’s not helpful or edifying. If we’re honest, pushing boundaries … Continue reading →

Green Pastures: They Require Action Love and complete reliance on God are interrelated concepts. When we discover what love really means, we want to praise God for it. When we learn to rely on God for all our needs, we … Continue reading →

Reason: Not the Ultimate Power Reason is a gift from God, but that doesn’t make it a substitute for seeking God’s will through prayer. Moses appears to have been an intelligent man. He figured out how to flee Egypt after … Continue reading →

Forsaken to Delight “My God, my God why have you forsaken me? Why are you far from helping me, far from the words of my groaning?” (Psalm 22:1). These are some of the darkest words in Scripture. It’s almost painful … Continue reading →

Sins of Omission There’s that moment when you’re asked to do something you know is wrong, but you feel like you should respond. It’s almost as fleeting as the decision to not stand up for what is right, even when … Continue reading →

We Don’t (Really) Mean It “I’ll pray for you.” We say it often, but how many times do we actually remember to do it? Our biggest downfall might not be a lack of compassion—it’s probably just not taking time to … Continue reading →

A Merciful Smackdown Sometimes, we’d rather not be teachable. When it comes to taking advice from people in my church community, it’s easier to keep an emotional distance than it is to listen. If I tread lightly on their sin, … Continue reading →

Is This “Bad” From God? God has granted us incredible grace in the salvation that Jesus’ death and resurrection offers, but that very grace is often used as a theological excuse. It’s dangerous to say that bad things come from … Continue reading →

Letting Evil Burn “And Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying . . . ‘let them take to you a red heifer without a physical defect . . . And you will give it to Eleazar the priest, and it … Continue reading →