My friend Linda shared a prayer she prayed some time ago: God, I want a closer relationship with you. Help! Amen. She told me that God’s answer was almost immediate. Stop achieving, start receiving. As I’ve pondered this response, it occurred to me that our life with God begins with receiving. “But to all who received him, […]
The keel—the flat blade sticking down into the water from a sailboat’s bottom—is an essential part of every sailboat. It has three functions: It creates forward motion, it prevents the boat from being blown sideways by the wind, and it holds the ballast (counterweight) that keeps the boat right-side up. Pretty simple, right? Also, very essential. […]
“Do not be anxious about anything” (Philippians 6:6). This may be one of the most difficult commands in Scripture to follow. Each of us has different concerns. Some of the things we tend to worry about (and shouldn’t) take on different dimensions as we grow older. But the concerns below likely remain on a list you […]
“Follow me.” Jesus’ invitation extends far beyond the original Twelve, through the ages and up to the present. What does it mean to be His disciple? A disciple of Jesus should be recognizable in every culture and era. Even the opposition identified the early disciples of Christ: “Now as [the religious leaders] observed the confidence […]
I like talking with older folks. When I retired from working in a local nursing home, it was natural for me to continue relationships with the elderly residents I knew there. I signed up as a volunteer and began visiting once a week to build friendships and, I hoped, to study the Bible with residents. A […]
The LORD your God is with you,He is mighty to save.He will take great delight in you,He will quiet you with his love,He will rejoice over you with singing.—Zephaniah 3:17, NIV This verse speaks powerfully of God’s love for us, and shows us three life-changing aspects of that love. It’s one of my favorite verses. As […]
Since the 12th century, the compass has been an essential tool to help travelers find and keep their bearing. Because of the Earth’s magnetic field, the compass points to north no matter where you are on the Earth’s surface. When Jesus called the first disciples, He gave them a compass: “And he said to them, ‘Follow […]
You never know when a seed you have planted will take root and grow. Just as planting literal seeds doesn’t produce instant results, it sometimes takes patience to see signs of spiritual life. That is true with my friend Barbara. Barbara had come to Pennsylvania from the Dominican Republic with her husband, an expert in […]
Do you ever feel like you’re in a wrestling match with life? Are you circling with an opponent who wants to take you down? Or, worse yet, are you in danger of being “pinned” to the mat? When I was in one of those “wrestling” times several years ago, I memorized Exodus 14:14: “The Lord will […]
When Roger Fleming went home to the Lord in late November, he left a legacy that will likely continue for generations. During more than five decades of ministry with The Navigators, he touched countless lives from Asia to the Pacific Northwest to Colorado. Many have been blessed by his wife, Jean’s, tribute to Roger at […]
