A 27-year-old nobleman from Saxony (in present-day Germany), Nicholaus von Zinzendorf was the key figure in a spiritual revival in 1727. Early in life he chose as his motto: “I have but one passion – it is Jesus, Jesus only.” At age 16 he had formed seven praying societies at college. Count Zinzendorf’s...
“The poor in spirit . . . have made peace with their flawed existence.” I remember reading this quote from Brennan Manning when I was barely out of college. I felt uncomfortable. Poor in spirit? Doesn’t sound fun. Flawed existence? Eesh. But he spent a lot of time talking about being poor in...
When I was a child growing up in New Zealand, my mother knit colorful sweaters for me. She used brightly-colored wool to create warm sweaters, which we call jumpers. Perhaps not the greatest fashion statement as I got older, but in many photos, I’m wearing one! I believe there are three main...
Trials are inevitable, Jesus warned us. “In this world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). We feel the burdens and struggles of this life, but as a friend challenged me to remember: when we are tempted to say, “Poor me,” instead say, “Pour me, Lord!” Rather than giving way to self-pity, let...
In the early morning hours, having risked hyena attacks and rape in order to reach the river, young girls and women kneel at the river’s edge. They fill their buckets with dirty water for drinking, cooking, and bathing — water that will plague the people with parasite-borne illnesses. Near other villages...
You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, “You did not make me”? Can the pot say to the potter, “You know nothing”? Isaiah 29:16 (NIV) I am slowly growing a little in my cooking...
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17 (NIV) The LORD will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Your hands. Psalm 138:8 (NASB) Chances are, you’re like me. You have a bunch of things going on right now....
Then He told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this...
Pray continually. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV) You just read one of the shortest verses in the Bible. Congratulations! But please don’t pass over it too quickly. Like road signs we routinely ignore on the way to work, we can. I believe there’s a lot stuffed into these two words. Let’s take a prayerful moment...
“The person who lives in right relationship with God does it by embracing what God arranges for him. Doing things for God is the opposite of entering into what God does for you.” Galatians 3:11,12 (The Message) Last Thursday God arranged a hard day for me. Nothing worked. Conversations were marked by misunderstandings, and...