Category archives: Jesus

When Christians Don't Act Like Jesus

The reason (I believe) that there are so many Christians who do not act or look at all like Jesus, in this world, is because they have misunderstood the gospel. Many Christians think like this: "I believe Jesus is the Savior of the world. That means I'm saved. My eternal destination is set. Okay. Great. That's all I have to do from here on out. The rest is business as usual. Moving right along." The gospel is reduced to "heaven when I die." That's it. There's no actually following Jesus in the dailiness of life. This is not Christianity as Jesus defines it. True, authentic Christianity is following, trusting in, relying on Jesus so fully that we would actually do the things that Jesus would do, if He were in our shoes. There was nothing evil or self-centered, o[...]

How to Do Less Striving (And More Living in Wonder)

Jesus is a Mighty Beauty. I wish I could really get this into us. Preach it to the church, you know. That Christianity isn't about keeping rules, or defending systems of dogma or one-upping others, or having all the right answers, or even having our act together. Christianity is about walking daily here in this dirt and this filth and this wreck, alongside a Mighty Beauty. There is a great Some One who who wants to live our ordinary life with us. We could live in awe of Him. Of the One who transforms us from the inside out. As we rub shoulders with Him, keep our eyes on Him, ask Him for His thoughts and do the sort of things that He did, we actually become like Him. That is compelling to me. It's the kind of stuff that ignites fire in my bones and gives me hope for the w[...]

When I Look Into Her Eyes

When I look into her eyes, I feel at home. My soul and all my inner angst calms down. I feel at peace. And I wonder for a little while, like, I just sit there on the couch holding her in front of me, gazing into her bright eyes, and I wonder, quietly, what it must be like to peer into the eyes of Jesus. Because when I look into my baby's eyes, I am looking into the eyes of someone who has never done anything wrong. And Jesus never did anything wrong. He was absolutely pure, through and through. Innocent. Good, in the most perfect sense of the word. Delightful. Like, my baby. I ponder that for a while and I let it settle in. Innocence. Purity. Goodness. Beauty. And when I'm thinking about these things, I tell you, my soul calms and I breathe slower and deeper[...]

On Jesus and Marriage and Hard Things

I have to tell you something about Jesus and marriage. There will be nights when you will go to bed and you will think that your spouse is your enemy. They'll do something stupid (or you'll do something stupid) and man, it'll be hard and one of you will want to scratch the other's eyes out. You'll feel your heart callous up and fortify itself in some kind of concrete barricade. You will think that change is not even possible. Even if you're a Christian, you'll start to question if there's enough power in Jesus to really help you, or them, overcome this particular sin and selfishness. Listen, my loves. Jesus is a very present Help in time of trouble. It's true. I know because I felt Him last night and this morning after Brent and I had a massively hard time working through some[...]

Cheetahs, Laser beams, And Jesus (A Bed-time Theology)

Gideon, (my seven year old) asked if I'd lay by him tonight. I'm always super tired at the end of the day and I just want to go to my own bed, but humans need a lot of comfort, so I curled up next to him and pat his back. He still had lots of words left, and I found myself being ministered to by his little boy thoughts and the way he processes life, "Momma, Jesus didn't want to hurt people. I've probably hurt people about 5,000 times, but there wasn't anything in Jesus that wanted to ever hurt someone. Even when mean bad guys were hurting Him, He STILL didn't hurt them back. I mean, He could have called all the cheetahs to come and attack the bad guys but He didn't. He could even have made laser beams come out of His eyes or turned His eyes so bright that people would just pass[...]

When You Wake Up With A Rebel's Heart

This morning I woke up with a rebel's heart. Does that ever happen to you? As a Christ-follower, I want to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. And I want to love my neighbor as much as I love myself. According to Jesus, these are the two greatest commandments. But, some days temptation comes and I go all rogue on Him. Temptation is very tricky. I know you already knew that. But, temptation dangles the thing we crave out in front, without showing us the hook that will catch in the back of our throat. There are a million different ways to run away from God and rebel against Him, bringing death--the spiritual kind-- every time.  But it sure feels good at the moment. This morning, when I was struggling along, and realizing this particular temptation could easil[...]

How to Feel (And Give) Jesus' Love

You know the way I feel most loved by Jesus? It's through people. I mean, I know Jesus loves me. I feel it when I'm reading His Word. And when I'm looking at the sky. Or a wildflower. Or a tree frog clinging to my kitchen window late at night. But, when I'm with people, and we're all laughing by a fire, or praying together, or telling each other about our day or some random thing that happened--that's when I most feel profoundly loved by Jesus.   Now, I'm not necessarily fully aware of it in the moment. But, later, when I'm by myself or awake in the night, I remember what it was like to be with those people that I loved and that loved me and that's when I sense Him most. I feel Jesus. As if, He was standing right there with me all along and I could see the fi[...]

When You Just Need Time to Heal

Today it rains. The yard is undergoing this slow and steady transformation from its sleepy subdued self, to its verdant green, waking up, alive self. We’ve been sick but we’re all better now. The stomach bug took every last one of us out. At one point, I was laying on a sleeping bag in the yard, watching the kids play when I realized that all you can do with sickness is get better. You can’t worry about the laundry. Or dishes. Or muster up enough energy to clean all the messes up. You just have to be okay with making messes and sitting still and listening to the life around you until you heal. I told God that it was funny how much I must get my worth and value from all my “doing.” Because when I couldn’t do anything, I found it necessary to have these chats with myself that th[...]

When You Feel the Weight of Things (And How to Feel the Love of God)

Some days I wake up and feel the weight of the aching world upon this little chest of mine. I don’t even know where all the angst is coming from. Is it really that bad, or do I just need some breakfast? My children need a hundred things from me. How did they become so awake in just five minutes and need all these things? Someone starts to scream. Someone’s kicking someone. Someone just stole someone else’s chocolate milk. Someone says they are NOT going to the library with the rest of us today. Someone's hiding in the closet. That sounds like a good idea to me. I sigh. I need a hundred things from God. Like hope, comfort, energy for these little ones, and a protein breakfast, just to name a few. Mostly I just want to be held. Is that too much to ask from the Maker of the[...]

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