"Strengthen the Feeble Hands, Steady the Knees That Give Way."
Devotional
On Being Hinder – Part 4
Nov 17th
This is all much easier for me to write than it is for you to read—but know that my heart hurts for those who have a “Longing like Starvation.” I “rejoice with those who rejoice”, but I also “weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15). Counseling someone to “let go” feels like calling him or her back to the lonely desert.
But “better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife” (Prov. 17:1). “Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife[/husband]” (Prov. 21:9). And, “Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife[/husband]” (Prov. 21:19).
You may be in the midst of a relationship that is just “okay.” You may think, “Am I supposed to kick a good man/woman to the curb and wait for perfection?” No! There are good men and women who deserve a chance to show who they really are. There are good people who deserve a little more time to mature, and none of us is without sin so that we should be in the business of throwing stones.
If you are in a relationship that is something good Continue Reading >>
On Being Hinder – Part 3
Nov 10th
What I do not know is like the ocean to the dewdrop of my present knowledge, and it is the same with us all. This has been true, and will remain so well beyond our time here on earth. Sometimes the hesitation in a relationship is the product of our own homegrown fears ceded to us by family, friends, and past relationships. At other times the hesitation flows from true wisdom and caution is appropriate. Ah, but knowing the difference…
The fact of the matter is that we cannot make decisions based on what we do not know. I say this because I remember quite often waiting for a second opinion or a more favorable report. Perhaps it is the loyal soul in me, but letting go was always very hard, even when it was clear the relationship was going and should go nowhere. Sometimes it was a fear of being alone, and sometimes it was the ever present, “But what if…”
“What if this IS the person for me and I am just too wounded to let myself be loved?”
“What if I am just too picky?”
“What if she is serious about changing?”
“What if I never find someone else?”
“What if this is Continue Reading >>
A Fallen World
Oct 10th
What we mean when we say we live in a fallen world is that it is a world that disappoints. We mean a world that doesn’t always live up to our expectations. It is a world in which even our access to God is mediated. “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror …” (1 Corinthians 13:12).” Though we long to know Him as He is, He appears to us as though “in a dense cloud” (Exodus 19:9). What the mystics called “the cloud of unknowing.” He is the hidden God.
The truth is that our understanding too is cloudy. We don’t hear well. We don’t see well. But that does not change our desire to re-make this fallen world. We believe that sometime in the past this world was better. We believe that sometime in the future things will be different. We hope things will be different, and by faith we expect to see it so.
In a fallen world 3-year-old boys are diagnosed with Leukemia. The sense of powerlessness pervades. No one who hears such news thinks, “That’s good.”
We don’t receive such news as though all were well with the world.
No, for this and other such events we have a word—tragic. Continue Reading >>
New Book Published
The book is finally ready. It is at Amazon as well as Barnes & Noble. I hope it is a blessing to all who read it. Many have written to tell me they printed articles. Now you can curl up to read anywhere. Spread the word.
