Had you sat beside Jesus in Gethsemane, and known what he would face, you might have questioned his resiliency. If the thought of crucifixion affected him so dramatically, would he cower before the Cross? Those closest to him that night reported, “He offered up both prayers and pleas with loud crying and tears” (Hebrews 5:7). […]

Compare yourself to someone with more feel small. Compare yourself to someone with less feel big. For awhile. Comparisons are odious.              The tiny pebbles and white shells of the Galilean beach crunched under the feet of the two men as they walked side-by-side. A third man followed.  Jesus asked Peter a stinging question. Not once, but […]

Spontaneous: Coming or resulting from a natural impulse or tendency; without effort or premeditation; natural and unconstrained; unplanned. Spontaneity is crucial to emotional well being? Why? Because spontaneous people respond to their emotions and environment. Instead of stuffing their feelings and running from an opportunity to break out of the mold, they act on a […]

Did Jesus teach that people who build their life on the foundation of his teaching would be spiritually impregnable? I’ve taught that many times. And it makes sense. But as I’ve been examining these verses more closely I’ve changed my mind. Here’s what Jesus said: “But let me tell you what the person is like […]

Where does such a powerful emotion as anger come from?  It may surprise you to know it’s a gift from God.  In his excellent book, The Other Side of Love, Gary Chapman notes that, while anger is not an essential part of God’s nature—it flows “from two aspects of God’s divine nature:  God’s holiness and […]