One of my favorite verses in the Bible is James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” I use this verse often when I speak to athletes. James’ words go well with what Paul wrote to the …
How do we thrive in a post-Christian culture? Do we just try to blend in, talk the way the world talks and act like everyone else, even if deep in your soul you know it’s wrong? No, use Daniel of the Bible as a role model (Daniel 6:1-28). Daniel performed for the king with excellence, …
Disappointments in life are inevitable. I remember failing my first driver’s test, losing to our rival in my last high school baseball game, and getting released from two professional baseball teams. There were more disappointments, of course. Some were more easily to overcome than others. I do know this; when I surrender my disappointments to …
Trust is the foundation of leadership. It’s difficult to follower a leader, or the Messiah, if we don’t have trust. If we aren’t where we thought we would be at this stage of our lives, we must continue to work and trust God’s plan for us. After all, His way is better. “The man who …
There are times in our lives when we are devastated with bad news. Our world falls apart. We can’t see past the tragedy and heartbreak we are going through. For those of us who believe and trust in God, He brings healing, rest and strength for the days ahead. “Truly my soul finds rest in …
What is your most cherished possession? “My most cherished possession I wish I could leave you is my faith in Jesus Christ, for with Him and nothing else you can be happy, but without Him and with all else you’ll never be happy.”—Patrick Henry “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen …
My friend Nathan Whitaker recently shared this quote: “No amount of regret changes the past.No amount of anxiety changes the future.But any amount of gratitude changes the present.” People become negative, even bitter, because they leave gratitude out of their lives. One woman who lost every possession in the recent tornadoes that ripped through the …
How can we make sense of life’s roadblocks, dead ends and catastrophes? First, we shouldn’t confuse God with life. Second, we look to the cross. Could anything be mere horrible than seeing your Messiah captured, beaten, spit upon and then suffer even more and then die on the cross. But what enemy saw as death, …
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.”(Psalms 23:1-3a) “He refreshes my soul.” How many people in the world, in our nation, in our community or in our family needs their souls to be refreshed? Our prayers …
We can be paralyzed by the past and allow shame, sin and regrets render us useless. Or we can live in the present and look to the future with gratitude, forgiveness and hope. When regrets hound us, that’s the enemy wanting to rob us of the joy we can experience through grace. His love, forgiveness …