Yeah, no. That’s just not me.

So it's not so much that I'm a slave. It's that once I have accepted God's forgiveness, I should consider myself free to be compelled by righteousness rather than sin.

On Mission

    When Paul visited the island of Malta, he performed miracles, healed the sick and shared the gospel with the inhabitants.  It sounds like a fabulously successful short-term missions trip until you remember that the only reason he was there was that he was a prisoner being transported for his trial and had just survived...

For Our Afflictions

Jesus did a lot of healing when he was here on earth.  I can personally attest that He still does today. So when I come across the following verse, I tend to give it a mental nod and move on.  "Yup, healing, yup, prophecy fulfilled." That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by...

Some Trust In Chariots

How many times will I go back to doing things that have already proven not to be helpful before it occurs to me that perhaps I should not go back that way again? As it turns out, I am not alone in my dilemma. Around 3500 years ago, the Lord explained that very concept to...

Promises and Plans

Just when we think we understand God's plan for our lives, He sometimes takes us the opposite way than we would expect. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" Gen. 22:8 (NIV) "Now there was a famine in the land... The Lord appeared to Isaac...

Out Of Our Depth

Standing in church today, singing along with the congregation, I suddenly glanced around and watched the those around me, belting out, with all their hearts and souls, the words from the song "Oceans" by Hillsong: Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders Let me walk upon the waters Wherever You would call me...

The Not So Great Debate

I have recently become a tutor for Classical Conversations, a homeschooling curriculum/ community.  For those of you familiar with CC, I'm directing Challenge II.  For those of you not familiar, it boils down to me meeting with eight 14-16 year olds once a week for six 6 hours and having conversations about a variety of...

Offering What You Have

It seems like there is never enough to go around; money is tight, time is stretched, and just when I think I have nothing left to give, a situation arises where I have to come up with more.  So I look into my cache of resources and come up scratching my head, sighing when that...

The Freedom To Choose Love

"Love is a battlefield." "Love is a temple." "Love hurts." "Love is a many-splendored thing."  "Love stinks." "What's love got to do with it?" Popular songs are full of ideas about love, but what is love, anyway, and why is it so hard to do? "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy,...

Of Precious Stones and Well-Watered Gardens

The land of Havilah, back in the days of Eden, was known for gold, pearls and onyx.  It was watered by the river Pishon (meaning "increase, overflowing"), which wound through, or encircled, the entire land (thus the name Havilah, or "circle"). (Genesis 2:10-12; all Scriptures in this post taken from the NIV) Bear with me...