Faith

People who do things the wrong way are fools and people who get in my way are even worse. That’s a nasty thought, but it’s undoubtedly one that crosses my mind more often than I’d care to admit. [It looks worse in text than it does when it runs through my mind, but we all know it’s equally horrifying either way.] I’ve long-confessed that I’m impatient. My honesty about my lack of patience made my feel ok that I was a ticking time bomb. As I reflected back on my time overseas in Slovenia, I realized that one blatant sin that summed up my whole year was impatience. Impatience with students when they didn’t believe the gospel. Impatience with Christian students who didn’t want to grow or share their faith. Impatience with my wife when she didn’t meet unspoken expectations I didn’t even realize I had. Impatience with God when he didn’t answer prayers according to my timing. Impatience with myself when sin continued to creep up or self-improvement didn’t come as quickly as I hoped. I listened to a sermon that is as old as I am (nearly to the day!) by John Piper entitled, “Battling the Unbelief of Impatience.” The title alone struck me. I had never heard impatience framed that way–not believing faithfully in God. Here’s a quote from Piper to set the tone. “Patience in doing the will of God is not an optional Christian virtue because faith is not optional and impatience is the fruit of unbelief. It is no minor skirmish.” Ouch. Impatience is a big deal. **It’s a faith issue. ...

What gets measured gets improved. I’m reasonably obsessed with personality tests, measurements, data, information and using those tools to make better decisions. Unfortunately, I have a tendency to collect data and then do nothing with it [*”Some day I will,”* I assure myself] or to flat out collect the wrong data. **I normally measure the success of my day by how many things I accomplished and how many things I left unfinished. **I never check off all the boxes on any given day because I’m constantly thinking of more things I need (or would like) to do. Instead of evaluating my day by the number of boxes checked and list items crossed off, I felt led to completely change my method of evaluation. At the end of each day, I’ve started to ask myself these two questions. ...

We’re all guided by what we value and what we prioritize. Unfortunately, we can be quick to forget what is most important to us and let our priorities get out of line. A few weeks ago, I shared my morning manifesto–12 points that I read over each morning to remind me of how I want to live my life. I think it’s a great practice to keep our priorities at the forefront of what we do. Below I created a process for you to create your very own morning manifesto. I promise it’s worth the initial time investment. Once you make your manifesto, could you share it with us in the comments? I’d love to see what you came up with. ...

Every day I talk with students who ask nearly impossible questions about Jesus, Christianity and the Bible. I don’t have all the answers (and I never will). Thankfully, that’s not what God requires of Christians to share our faith. This isn’t a perfect process, but it is a way to equip yourself in answering questions like “How can we trust the Bible?” and “Was Jesus really God?” Instead of answering specific questions, I’d rather share ways to prepare to answer tough questions and pass along a few resources you can start checking out today. The Process...

Mike Mobley at Before the Cross invited me to guest post, and I describe how my lack of understanding of the Grand Canyon and its beauty relates to my lack of understanding about Jesus and who he is. Here’s a little taste to whet your appetite: I think, for most of us, we treat Jesus a lot like the Grand Canyon. We’ve heard a fair amount of stories. We know he’s a pretty impressive guy. ...

“You’ve got to play the hand you’re dealt.” – Merle, The Walking Dead Is Merle’s quote true? Perhaps, to some degree, in some ways, at some time. But not today. Not any more. Not in the ways that matter most today. No, Merle, not in the slightest. Am I responding to a fictitious character’s quote from a zombie TV show and drawing real-life parallels while we wade through Poker analogies to disprove him? Yes. Let’s talk about how we can get a new hand professionally, relationally and spiritually. ...

I’m forgetful. I’m a very good forgetter of important things. Somehow, I manage to forget some of the most critical parts of my life. Like loving God and my wife. That I’ll die. My life is not a vacation. Simple things that are hard to remember all at once. I decided it was time to write a manifesto. Things I need reminded of daily. Things I know somewhere in the deep recesses of my heart, but that I can’t seem to surface without some brain-jarring via morning reading. I’ve printed this list out to read through each morning, before I do anything else. It takes less than 4 minutes to read aloud and it’s full of truth, high fives and pointer-fingers driven into the chest. It may seem a bit harsh at times, but it’s what I need from myself. Feel free to remind me when you see me forgetting these things. Also, I’d love to hear if you do anything to remind yourself of truth you need to hear each morning. ...

One of the most challenging Bible passages to me is in Psalm 1:2. It says: …his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. I’m deliberate about spending time in God’s Word each morning–a spiritual discipline that’s taken me a long time to develop. I know if I try to tackle my day without feasting on God’s Word, it’s nearly impossible for me to walk in His Spirit. If I go a few days without spending time reading and mediating on the Bible, look out. At that point, my sin has gravitated to the surface and is bursting out of my skin. Something I’ve done a poor job of is spending time mediating on God’s word at night. First, let’s define what mediation is. I love what John Piper says, ...

There are two critical questions to ask when you’re presented with an idea that calls you to completely reorient your life. Is it true? and Is it worth it?...