Three Powerful Ways to Encourage and Celebrate When I moved to Kansas City 16 years ago, I became a Chiefs fan by default. I would never claim to be a die hard fan, but I do enjoy watching the team! Especially in these past several years, of course, when the Chiefs have excelled. It’s pretty…
Category: Christian Living
Breaking Free From the Crushing Grip of Excuses
Breaking Free From the Crushing Grip of Excuses It’s so easy to make excuses when things don’t go your way. Right? One particular friend of mine, who’s a big sports fan and also a youth coach, has a hard time accepting defeat in a pure and humble way. Whenever one of his teams loses, he…
The Powerful, Hidden Influence of People Around You
The Powerful, Hidden Influence of People Around You One of my work colleagues sends very formal emails—always, no matter how informal or quick the message is. He always includes a greeting, the message itself, and then his name/signature at the end. Can you visualize the “friendly letter” setup you learned way back in elementary school?…
What to Do When You Need a Spiritual Recharge
What to Do When You Need a Spiritual Recharge At the risk of offending somebody reading this, I must admit that I’m not a plant person. Well, I do have a couple fake plants and garlands in both my loft and classroom, but keeping actual plants alive isn’t necessarily a hobby I excel at or…
Three Helpful Ways to Check Your Priorities
Three Helpful Ways to Check Your Priorities I’m reading through the book of Ezekiel right now, and today I navigated through some tough chapters about God’s wrath. More specifically, I was in Ezekiel 4-9, where God is telling Ezekiel to prophesy about His coming judgment against those who had rebelled against His laws and decrees….
One Simple Idea for Building Your Prayer Life
One Simple Idea for Building Your Prayer Life 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says believers should “pray continually.” That verse always makes me stop and do a double take. Pray continually? Is that even possible? As you grow in your walk with the Lord and draw increasingly nearer to Him, chances are you’ll find yourself naturally talking…
An Important Prayer for People Far From God
An Important Prayer for People Far From God Still thinking about the heart over here! Do you pray regularly for people in your life who don’t have an intimate, vibrant relationship with Jesus? And for friends, family members and colleagues who don’t know Him as their Savior? I do, and I’m sure you do, too. …
How to Test the Contents of Your Heart
How to Test the Contents of Your Heart I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the heart. The Bible says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23). The same verse in The Message translation of the Bible says, “Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life…
A Life Hack for Stopping the Sneaky Slide into Sin
A Life Hack for Stopping the Sneaky Slide Into Sin For myself and all of my fellow teachers out there… Throughout the winter months, we teachers moonlight as professional weather watchers. If there were ever experts on weather forecasts and predictions especially in January and February, teachers have that position on lock. Why? Well, of…
One Question That Can Change Your Perspective
One Question That Can Change Your Perspective As a high schooler, my first official part-time job was at Gordman’s, the department store. It was a fantastic first job! I learned so much about customer service, hard work, time management and how to be a good employee. Most importantly, I learned a ton about the retail…