This week, I had my pre-op appointments for what I hope will be my final surgery on December 26. My surgeon has been described as a “rockstar” in his field—and I’m deeply grateful for the skill and excellence God has placed in my medical team. During one of the consultations, the doctor told me he had read…Read more Ready for the Next Surgery: A Pastor’s Recovery from Cancer Surgery
Stewardship
My Secret to Productivity
I was given a kind compliment by one of my productivity heroes. "You are one of the most productive people I know. How do you do it?" Hoping that they realized how sincere I am about this, here is my secret. Matthew 6:33, "Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and…Read more My Secret to Productivity
Anxiety Does Not Define Us
The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety. George Muller Anxiety has become the fixed mindset defining the future for many people today, according to a clinical psychologist at a major university. So many people are worried, hurried, harried, and less confident of their…Read more Anxiety Does Not Define Us
A Season of Thanks Continues
This week between Thanksgiving and Advent has been very special for many of us. Tonight is guest post by Pastor Mark Warda. Mark is a member of the pastoral team at Woodland Church, a good friend, and a passionate follower of Christ. Take My Hand 1 Thessalonians 3:9 (NLT) “How we thank God for you!…Read more A Season of Thanks Continues
It’s Quiet Tonight
For the last three weeks we have enjoyed two of our sons and their families visiting with us. We have had several picnics, two parties, visited museums, parks, carousels, swam, and enjoyed so much good ice cream. I have laughed, wrestled, played games, watched movies, read stories, and told stories. It’s very quiet tonight. However,…Read more It’s Quiet Tonight
A Spiritual Health Checkup
It is essential that we have a spiritual health checkup at least annually. When we are spiritually healthy, we thrive in all the facets of our life. You know that glow that you have after a workout or a vacation, there is a glow spiritually as well. “A glad heart makes a happy face; a…Read more A Spiritual Health Checkup
Deeply Secure
As a guest in so many homes, I have watched so many fathers and mothers play with their children on the floor. The hilarious laughter as children crawled over their Dad and Mom. One of the real benefits of being a guest in a home like that is being asked to pray over their children,…Read more Deeply Secure
Building a New Habit Successfully
Building habits can be fun or frustrating for some. This week, someone asked me to help them with a new habit goal. It's both an honor and fun to help someone grow. A new habit has to be something you want. We change because we want to. It has been said that we change when…Read more Building a New Habit Successfully
Neither Wealth nor Poverty
“The idealization of poverty is one of the most dangerous illusions of Christians in the contemporary world. Stewardship—which requires possessions and includes giving—is the true spiritual discipline in relationship to wealth.” Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines, p 194 Stewardship necessarily means that we must have material goods to manage for the Lord. Jesus…Read more Neither Wealth nor Poverty
God Gives Us a Trust
“If you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?” (Luke 16:11, NLT) Here is something to think about. God has entrusted to you a certain amount of wealth to manage for His glory. It encourages me to know that God trusts, encourages, and instructs us on how…Read more God Gives Us a Trust
Coram Deo 