“Be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). “Be perfect.” Jesus didn’t say that because you’re not allowed to make mistakes. “Perfect” (teleios) means to become complete, whole, and filled with God's character. Any time you do fail, it’s an opportunity to grow closer to God by letting him transform your …
You‘re the Temple
Directly or indirectly, religion often teaches we need to be desperate enough for God to visit us, and that we have to behave well enough for him to fix the problems we can't. Eventually, that will show up in our lives as frustration and discouragement. Then we make things worse by punishing our failures, pain, …
More Than Survival
I took this after a rough storm, shortly before leaving Pennsylvania. You may feel like the flower looks—a little beat up after all you've been going through. Not perfect, but alive, healing, and getting stronger. You can focus on the damage the last storm did until the fear of another one takes control of your …
Strengthen Yourself
For me, one of the most powerful verses in the Bible, is 1 Samuel 30:6. This chapter recounts David doing his best to protect everyone, even those who hate him, but when he returns to camp with his fugitive army, they find all their families have been captured. The men were in such despair, they …
It’s Not On You
When you find yourself getting overwhelmed by all the needs around you, give yourself permission to stop right where you are. I posted yesterday to breathe. Do it again. Take a slow, deep breath. All of this doesn’t depend on you. It just seems that way whenever we take the burdens off Jesus' shoulders and …
Equip Your Spirit 