Start Here/Grow Here: Roots of Connection
One of the not-so-obvious insights from Jesus’ Parable of the sower is the need for good roots. In the parable, the seed thrown on rocky soil grew as quickly as…
Jesus Said That?! Radical Priorities
There were several books in my teenage years that shaped my spiritual journey and love of Jesus. I found it easy to relate to Phillip Keller’s A Shepherd Looks at…
Light Always Wins!
Who’s going to win, Bears or Packers? Or perhaps NASCAR is more your speed, care to name the winner of the next race? Or how about baseball, who is going…
Start Here/Grow Here – God Speaks
How do we know what God is like? Or what He wants from us? How does God speak to us at all? The answers to all those questions, and many…
What Do You Have?
Ever know one of those people that carry around an arsenal of maybes? They’re the ones that when faced with a need rummage around in their purse or pocket or…
Jesus Said That?! Radical Obedience
There are times as we read the Bible that we must look behind what is said to grasp what is meant. What exactly did Jesus mean by saying that…
Start Here/Grow Here – Talking With God
One way or another, our new life in Christ began with talking to God. Amazing on so many levels. Our journey with God begins simply: no valiant quests, no expensive…
Where You Look Matters
Recently, my oldest grandson mowed our yard. Now, that may not seem like a big thing. After all, Asher is twelve years old. But this wasn’t some easy-to-handle push mower.…
Jesus Said That?! A Radical Identification
Think about a tree for a moment. How it looks. How it’s shaped. All trees have some kind of central trunk. From that trunk radiate branches above and roots below.…
Start Here/Grow Here – Great Expectations
Have you ever taken a drink and been totally surprised? There was one time I remember taking a sip expecting sweet tea and getting tart lemonade instead. It was revolting!…
When God Seems Asleep
You’ve got to love the Psalms. They weren’t just syrupy feel-good songs which ignored the realities of life, sin, and death. Take Psalms 44 for instance. It begins by recounting…
Overwhelmed
Sometimes the burdens of life itself are too much to bear. Like there is no answer, no solution, no way out from under the situation or circumstances we’re in. Maybe…