There are three questions we are always asking about suffering. Even when we don’t realize we are asking them, we are indeed asking them. Why am I suffering? Where is God as I suffer? What am I to do about my suffering? We’ll look at the first question today and the other two tomorrow. Why […]
Flourishing! Suffering! We normally think of these conditions as being incompatible. I can flourish OR I can suffer. That is a mistaken way to understand flourishing. This misunderstanding is part of the fuel for what is called the Prosperity Gospel (also called the Health and Wealth Gospel or the Name It and Claim It Gospel). This biblical […]
Yesterday was Memorial Day: A day of remembering those who died while serving their country. Veterans Day (November 11) remembers all who served in the military, not only those who died. This post does not celebrate war. It does celebrate the greatest of all sacrifices – to give one’s life for the sake of what is loved. […]
5 Insights About a Life of Purpose The Purpose Driven Life (it now has a new title: What on Earth Am I Here For?) sold about one billion copies and was translated into 453 languages, including Martian. Well, that is an exaggeration, but not by much! It has sold 40 million copies and has been translated […]
What’s on your bucket list? What’s in your bucket? I hope your bucket is full of friends. If there is one single predictor of your future happiness, it is the quality of friendships you enjoy. In February and March we did a series on relationships called Life Together. Relationships are about as important as it […]
As we have gone through our Get Real series talking about the life of flourishing, I am reflecting on my own life. In so many ways, I believe I am experiencing that real and eternal, more and better life Jesus came to give us (John 10:10). I want the people I love to flourish. It […]
“I don’t believe in God, but I miss him.” What a poignantly insightful and profoundly sad opening to a memoir by the atheist Julian Barnes (Nothing to Be Frightened Of). Here is another one, only from G.K. Chesterton: “He who does not believe in God, doesn’t believe in nothing, he believes in anything.” * Now […]
The pleasures we pursue are high on that list! You make choices. Every day. Many of your decisions are automatic and you hardly know you’re making them. Others take longer for you to make up your mind. Some decisions are pretty small in the scheme of things (what restaurant will we dine at tonight?). Others […]
Your gender, race, ethnicity, age, geographical location, socio-economic status, education, marital status, etc. are examples of life conditions. Some of these are fixed, which means they are very hard to change. Others are in flux, which means they are very open to change, often by you. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “The grass is […]
On Sunday, I used a word of life from Deuteronomy 30. Today, I want to give you a fuller context, additional references, and a fresh insight about The Way of Flourishing. It would be best if you had a Bible in order to look at these verses in the complete context. I am only going to […]