We might try to manage our anxiety by not thinking about it, which, of course, is impossible. But consider a different strategy. Let’s take a hard look. Underneath fears and anxieties are personal desires that are at risk. We are anxious about a job interview because a poor interview jeopardizes our financial future. We are anxious about the results of a biopsy because cancer can be life...
As the Israelites travel toward the promised land, they vow, “What the Lord has said, we will do.” As it turns out, they didn’t really mean it. What the Lord said, they did . . . for a little while. Of course, there were some clues before God filled the tabernacle with his presence that the Israelites were a fickle bunch. The golden calf incident in Exodus 32 stands out. While Moses stood on the...
Women are under so much pressure from every angle that sometimes we need to be reminded of the foundation of grace that is under us. The book of Romans holds a beautiful message and convincing argument of God’s grace to us through his Son. In You Stand in Grace: Devotions for Walking in Faith, conference speaker Abi Byrd invites women to walk with her through Romans and experience firsthand how...
What do you want your life to represent? This is an important question to ask on multiple levels. We all want to leave a legacy—to contribute something meaningful and enduring with our lives—and this existential desire prompts us toward clarity about what we hope that legacy will become. A more basic level of this question has to do with the way we want others to think about us. It seems like...
Why did you marry your spouse? Most of us would quickly reply, “Well, I just love him/her!” Really? What does that mean? I’ve had the privilege of being a pastor for more than forty years. Over the decades, I’ve provided premarital counseling for more than one hundred couples. Often when I’m meeting with a couple for the first time, I’ll ask, “So why do you two want to get married?” I will often...
