Jesus takes a simple story of a farmer and seeds and magically turns it into an opportunity to challenge his followers. What is Jesus specifically pointing out? If you carefully read the three retellings of the parable, you will note the same words at the conclusion of each one: Let anyone who has ears to hear listen. Let’s take some time to unpack Jesus’s power-packed statement. The point Jesus...
What is the most important piece of any healthy relationship? Maybe the first thing you thought of was love or trust or selflessness. But let us suggest an answer that is even deeper: truth. Relationships simply cannot exist without truth. If I lie to you about who I am, then you don’t know the real me. We can only know each other to the degree that we are honest with one another. The root...
There’s something about turning the calendar to January or watching the first buds appear in spring that feels like God whispering, “Let’s begin again.” These seasonal rhythms—New Year’s resolutions, fresh planners, longer days, the faint green returning to the world—have a way of stirring renewed purpose in my heart. Maybe it’s because creation itself seems to proclaim what Scripture has said...
This morning, according to the calendar, is a new year. I hope so. Last year was a hard year. The caboose to a long, hard decade. I listened for our grandson, who sleeps like he’s training for the Olympics. Our little slumber-lord. Four years ago on this very day, I discovered our youngest adult daughter was pregnant. She was never able to raise her son. Several years ago, at the age of sixty...
So often at this time of year, we need clarity. It seems so easy for us to miss it. As I reflect on Isaiah 9:1–7 while looking forward to celebrating the birth of our Savior, I need a fresh reminder of what Christmas really means and what Jesus has done for our world. At the center of Christmas, at the center of what Jesus has done for us, there is joy. But first we must grapple with the darkness...
