I can tell pretty quickly if someone is serious about investing in their personal and spiritual growth. Lots of people say they want to grow. Perhaps they do. Maybe they desire a better life. They’re finally ready to get into recovery or wish for a stronger relationship with God. Maybe they had an incredible experience at […]
Four fears that will keep you from growing.
To say my daughter is verbal is an understatement. A first-born reader, raised by readers, she’s an artesian spring of words, bubbling without end. When she doesn’t feel like talking about something, that’s when you know something serious is up. Like the time when, in anger, she changed her brother’s tablet password and then forgot […]
I’m Sorry: The Dysfunctional Marriage of Church & State
I’m continuing my series over at the Oregonian. Apologies for ways the church has stepped away from the way of Jesus. I’m hoping to be one of many who are working to build a new kind of church in America. Here’s a teaser of this post. One familiar scene in Jesus’ life is essentially a […]
What’s God’s purpose for personal growth?
Turning ten is a big deal. Double digits! When my daughter reached this milestone we celebrated with a bedroom make-over. This involved a lengthy daddy-daughter trip to IKEA marked by significant discussion and debate over various bedroom furniture options. With choices finally made, we excitedly hauled a small warehouse of cardboard boxes out to our […]
A Pastor’s Apology
As I mentioned, I’ve been invited to write at OregonLive, the online outlet for the Oregonian. My writing over there is meant for the Posts-, Nones, and SBNRs out there[note “That means Post-Christian, or folks who select ‘None’ on surveys asking for their religious affiliation, or who think of themselves as Spiritual-But-Not-Religious.”] I’d love to […]
The person who knows your spiritual state best is your neighbor.
I am very excited to let you know that I’ve been invited to write at the OregonLive website. OregonLive is the online publication of the premier Oregon newspaper, The Oregonian. I’ve been invited to contribute as a community spiritual leader. That’s an intimidating invitation. I’m anxious and excited to take up the challenge. I’ll be […]
Hey Christian, Personal Growth is not Optional!
I once had a game-changing conversation with a friend. He was a musician and had been for decades. He played guitar and sang and wrote beautifully poignant songs. He owned a recording studio and spent significant time mentoring other musicians. If you asked people to describe him, the fact that he was a musician would […]
Attitudes that propel you forward.
There’s one thing, and only one, that truly has the power to either derail you or propel you forward. You can have the worst circumstances possible, and this one thing will push you past them. You can have every advantage, and this same thing can steal the opportunity from you. That one thing? Your attitude. […]
Don’t let your attitude derail your life’s purpose.
Knowing where you’re going is important in life. A clear sense of purpose can provide motivation, focus, and energy, especially when things are hard. But no matter how clear you are on your purpose, there is something that can keep you from getting there. You might not even be aware of it. Imagine taking a […]
Look closer for clues to your life purpose.
Spiritual vitality and living with purpose are intertwined. To have one, you need the other. Your pursuit of purpose is key. Very close to you is a treasure chest overflowing with clues necessary to finding your unique, God-created life purpose. Chances are high that you’re overlooking it. I want to show you where to look.
Hunting for the purpose of life? Here’s a landmark.
I live in Portland, Oregon. It’s one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever seen and my favorite place I’ve ever lived. One aspect of my city that I love is the view of Mount Hood. This solitary mountain towers east of the city, a snow-capped beauty mark. As you travel through Portland, the mountain […]
Read & Grow / Why Wandering Deepens Your Faith
Christianity is in a transition, at least in North America. Some fear that the faith once delivered to the saints is being watered down with cheap grace, or corrupted by bad doctrine. Any given week you can find some preacher on the internet declaiming the way other churches are giving in to low standards, and […]
Looking for Purpose? Start with your Identity in Christ
You have a good and beautiful purpose. Part of the adventure of your life is to discover it. Instead of pinning on a broken identity you’ve pieced together from scraps, you can discover an identity that will fit you perfectly because it comes from the Master Artist who made you. This sense of purpose will […]
Wandering Lost? Finding your Purpose will change that.
I was heading to a lunch meeting with another car following me. We were headed to a restaurant a few miles away. While driving, I was thinking about a heavy conversation I had upcoming. Then I got a text message. While I was multi-tasking, (don’t judge me!) a semi truck merged into my lane. It […]
Is your purpose really to give God the glory?
If you grew up in church world, you learned that one of the most important things was God’s glory. We were very clearly supposed to give God the glory, like little human spotlights always showing how awesome God is. Over time, I learned what kind of things would do this. There was a clear category: […]