Daily Readings by Wild at Heart

Reserves are replenished when there’s more coming in than there is going out.That’s how it works. That’s why people come back from their vacations feeling better, and why folks who have taken real time off, like a sabbatical, come back almost different human beings. Your reserve tanks don’t just magically fill up, no more than your car’s gas tank does. They definitely don’t replenish when you’re burning everything just to maintain what you call your “normal life.” That’s why you make a plan for recovery and resilience.You’ll want to arrange for periods where more is coming in than is going out.Whatever your operating capacity is—whether that’s currently 40 percent, 60 percent, or 95 percent of what used to be your full capacity—your current operating capacity is what you need to pay attention to. You need to throttle back to allow your reserves to fill back up.I hear the objections at once: But you don’t know my life! You don’t know what my boss is asking of me! What my kids need right now! I completely understand. We are all hard-pressed, some of us more than others. But there’s a way to account for even this.We burn through so much of our emotional, mental, and spiritual energy simply through worry, anger, being generally unsettled, and by taking in too much of the over-whelming news of the world. Picture a gambler standing before a slot machine and repeatedly, almost mindlessly, dropping in silver dollar after silver dollar. Soon she has nothing left in her purse and nothing to show for it. The sociodrama of the world is the slot machine; the silver dollars represent our personal resources. We spend it all like the gambler until we choose to walk away.Friends, you can turn and walk away. Without needing one more day of vacation or some ideal work schedule, you can walk away from a whole lot of what is currently draining you.I beg of you—practice benevolent detachment.We do need to provide for periods in the rhythm of our week, month, and year where we are intentionally operating below our capacity to replenish reserves. It doesn’t have to be limited to your vacation time. It’s something you can build into the rhythm of your life. Which evenings each week are blocked out in your calendar? You should block several out: no activity, no nothin’. Turn your phone off, and let your soul simply rest.God commands Sabbath once a week however you observe it, and I think now you can see the brilliance of his command. We need margin to replenish, margin that is so protected it is sacred margin—untouchable, nonnegotiable.The simplest (and by far the most reliable) route I have ever found for getting breathing room in my life is to begin asking Jesus about the plans I make for my life.Honestly, I’m always startled at how much feels to me to be utterly necessary, unavoidable—but when I asked Christ about it, he rescued me from the pressure. I didn’t need to make that call that evening. I didn’t need to do that project that weekend. I didn’t need to get involved in someone else’s drama even though I felt I should.Jesus has consistently opened up margin in my life that I didn’t think was possible. And in that margin I have been able to recover and replenish my reserves.Want more? Order your copy of Resilient today.

Playful, cunning, generous, fierce — not one moment of it is contrived. Jesus never plays to the audience, never kowtows to the opposition, never takes his cues from the circus around him. He is simply being himself.The diversity of Jesus’ actions, timing, manner, words, dare we say moods; his sudden changes of direction, then his stillness — it’s hard to keep up with. It certainly is colorful, but almost dizzying, like a Byzantine mosaic, alive and shifting like the northern lights. Dazzling, but nearly to the point of leaving us confused. As soon as we’ve grabbed on to one dimension of Jesus — his generosity, his compassion, his honesty — he seems to turn it on its head, or us on ours.Perhaps the Gospel stories seem dizzying only because we’ve never seen anyone act like this before. Maybe what we are witnessing is actually one single quality, not many. Maybe Jesus is simply being true. Want more? Order your copy of Beautiful Outlaw today

I think it was Archibald Hart who pointed out that because we are so accustomed to moving pedal to the metal in our own world, the thing we overlook in the Gospels are all of the in-between times when Christ and his followers were walking from one town to another. When the record states, “The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee,” (John 1:43) we project our own pace upon it, not realizing it took the boys three days by foot to get there. Three days just strolling along, talking, or sharing the silent beauty; the pauses for lunch or a drink from a well; the campfires in the evening. Even as I write this, it sounds luxurious. Christ does not move immediately from one dramatic story to another; there was down time, transition time between those demands. Time to process what had happened (these are the moments you see the disciples asking questions; “what did you mean by ... ?”). Time to catch their breath before the next encounter. That was the pace Jesus felt was reasonable for people engaged in important things and wanting a life with God. Time we would categorize almost as vacation time, for those are the only periods we allow ourselves a stroll, a lingering lunch, a campfire conversation. We highly progressive moderns try to keep up without any of those intervals and transitions.The things that we require of ourselves—we go from a tender conversation with our eight-year-old anxious about going to school to an angry phone call with our insurance company as we drive to work, followed by a quick chat with our sister needing a decision about our aging parents’ “memory care unit.” Then it’s straight into a series of business meetings (during which we multitask by trying to bang out some email), firing an employee, interviewing another, making dinner reservations for our spouse’s birthday, fitting in a conversation with our boss because we can’t say no, and showing up late and haggard for the dinner.And we wonder why we have a hard time finding God, receiving more of him, feeling like we’re overflowing with life. We are forcing our souls through multiple gear-changes each day, each hour, and after years of this we wonder why we aren’t even sure what to say when a friend genuinely inquires, “How are you?” We don’t really know; we aren’t sure what we feel anymore. We live at one speed: go. All the subtleties of human experience have been forced into one state of being. Mercy. No soul was meant to live like this.What sort of madness have we come to accept as normal when a One Minute Pause feels like a luxury?!Want more? Order your copy of Get Your Life Back today.

How to pray for guidance. First off, do whatever you can to reduce the pressure. Pressure is a killer; it nearly always gets in the way of hearing from God. As best you can, lay down the pressure as you seek guidance. Drama never helps; stress never helps. Give the search some breathing room. Take a deep breath yourself.Second, be open to whatever it may be that God has to say to you. If you are, in truth, only open to hearing one answer from God—yes, you should buy that house—then it’s not likely you will hear anything at all. More sadly, if you do hear a “yes,” you won’t be able to trust it. Surrender is the key. Yield your desires and plans and hunches to the living God, so that you might receive from him something far better: his counsel. Consecrate the matter; consecrate the process of decision making too!Third, do not fill in the blanks! Do not spend half your energy trying to figure it out while you are giving the other half to seek- ing God. You do not want to “walk in the light of your own fires!” Far better to live with the uncertainty for a while than to be your own counselor.  Finally, when it comes to major decisions, give it some time. Don’t try and get this done in five minutes.  If you feel you are receiving counsel, guidance, direction from the Holy Spirit, then ask him to confirm it. Confirmation is important when it comes to big decisions and it gives you a settled assurance that you are in fact following God’s will.Want more? Order your copy of Moving Mountains today.

I love watching a herd of horses grazing in an open pasture, or running free across the wide, sage-covered plateaus in Montana. I love hiking in the high country when the wildflowers are blooming—the purple lupine and the Indian paintbrush when it’s turning magenta. I love thunder clouds, massive ones. My family loves to sit outside on summer nights and watch the lightning, hear the thunder as a storm rolls in across Colorado. I love water, too—the ocean, streams, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, rain. I love jumping off high rocks into lakes with my boys. I love old barns, windmills, the West. I love vineyards. I love it when Stasi is loving something, love watching her delight. I love my boys. I love God.Everything you love is what makes a life worth living. Take a moment, set down the book, and make a list of all the things you love. Don’t edit yourself; don’t worry about prioritizing or anything of that sort. Simply think of all the things you love. Whether it’s the people in your life or the things that bring you joy or the places that are dear to you or your God, you could not love them if you did not have a heart. Loving requires a heart alive and awake and free. A life filled with loving is a life most like the one that God lives, which is life as it was meant to be (Ephesians 5:1–2). Of all the things that are required of us in this life, which is the most important? What is the real point of our existence? Jesus was confronted with the question point-blank one day, and he boiled it all down to two things: loving God and loving others. Do this, he said, and you will find the purpose of your life. Everything else will fall into place. Somewhere down inside we know it’s true; we know love is the point. We know if we could truly love, and be loved, and never lose love, we would finally be happy. And is it even possible to love without your heart? Want more? Order your copy of Waking the Dead today.

Love God in your suffering. Stay with me now. Your heart is the greatest treasure you have. Without a heart it’s impossible to love, or receive love. Without a heart you can’t possibly dream, hope, laugh, find courage. Without a heart you will never be happy. Your enemy knows this, knows he can use your suffering to both shut your heart down and turn you against God, if only subtly, in doubtful hurt. Listen to me carefully: You must not let him. You must guard your heart with everything you’ve got, especially in times of disappointment and pain. Your secret weapon against the enemy’s hatred is to love God right then and there, in the midst of the sorrow, whatever it may be.I recognize that the act of loving God often surfaces other things in our hearts, things that are currently in the way of our loving him. We might feel half-hearted in the act, and then we realize we feel hurt or distant from God, or that he feels distant from us. This is good; this allows us to bring to the surface and put words to things that are blocking the relationship. Naming those things is important. I will at this point either begin to write about it in my journal or simply say to Jesus, “I feel hurt about ...” Then I will pray, “Come into this hurt, this feeling of abandonment, this numbness,” or whatever seems to be thwarting our intimacy. “I love you here, God. I choose right here, in this, to love you.”Try it; you’ll see.When I’m feeling more disappointment than I am overflowing with reasons to love God, I turn to the things I know he has done on my behalf. “Thank you for creation,” I’ll say, because I love the world he’s made, and I can at least start there—the meadows, waterfalls, caribou, dolphins.“Thank you for creation.” I continue, “Thank you for redemption”—for I know he loves me because of Jesus Christ: “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8 NLT). “Thank you for my redemption.” And I will add, “Thank you for the coming kingdom,” because it reminds me that my dreams will come true, any day now; goodness is coming to me. So when I’m trying to bring my heart along into the genuine act of loving God, I will pray, “Thank you for creation; thank you for redemption; thank you for the coming Kingdom.” My soul comes along as I do this, and I remember that I do in fact love God, whatever my current heartache may be.This rescue helps your heart not pull away from the One Person who can heal you; it fortresses your heart against the lies of the enemy that rush in during heartbreak (God doesn’t love you; he’s not good; you are alone; life is unfair—all that). Actively choosing to love God in our pain allows us to receive the very grace the pain cries out forWant more? Order your copy of Get Your Life Back today.

However strong a castle may be, if a treacherous party resides inside (ready to betray at the first opportunity possible), the castle cannot be kept safe from the enemy. Traitors occupy our own hearts, ready to side with every temptation and to surrender to them all. (John Owen, Sin and Temptation) Ever since that fateful day when Adam gave away the essence of his strength, men have struggled with a part of themselves that is ready at the drop of a hat to do the same. We don’t want to speak up unless we know it will go well, and we don’t want to move unless we’re guaranteed success. What the Scriptures call the flesh, the old man, or the sinful nature, is that part of fallen Adam in every man that always wants the easiest way out. It’s much easier to go down to the driving range and attack a bucket of balls than it is to face the people at work who are angry at you. It’s much easier to clean the garage, organize your files, or cut the grass than it is to talk to your teenage daughter. To put it bluntly, your flesh is a poser. And your flesh is not you. Did you know that? Your flesh is not the real you. When Paul gives us his famous passage on what it’s like to struggle with sin (Romans 7), he tells a story we are all too familiar with: “I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.” (vv. 19–21, The Message)Paul says, “Hey, I know I struggle with sin. But I also know that my sin is not me — this is not my true heart.” Want more? Order your copy of Wild at Heart today.

But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved. (Hebrews 10:39)I wonder—could our heightened state of longing for things to be good again be far more than a response to trauma, chronic disappointment, and deprivation? Might it actually be pointing to something wonderful?If the heavens are thrilling as they stage for the return of Christ, if the battle on earth is raging, if Christ himself is standing at the door —wouldn’t our hearts somehow recognize it? He who is our heart of hearts, our deepest desire, and most sincere longing, is drawing near —nearer than ever before. This would be especially moving for those in whom Christ dwells. Maybe — just maybe — our hearts are responding to the imminent return of Jesus while our rational minds continue to dismiss the thought.When the moon comes closest to the earth in its orbital swing — what is called the perigee of the moon — the gravitational pull on the earth is strongest. A few times each year, the perigee coincides with a full moon and the gravitational attraction is strong indeed, causing tidal upheaval and flooding. Many scientists believe that the moon was once a part of the earth, that it broke away during a catastrophic event and now orbits like an estranged lover. When it draws near, the earth feels its presence deeply.Wouldn’t our hearts do the same?This is the greatest love story ever told, the Sacred Romance. As the Hero approaches from his long sojourn, his bride knows in her heart that he’s coming — like the lovers in the Van Morrison song "Crazy Love" who can feel each other’s heartbeat “for a thousand miles.” Compasses are known to behave strangely as they near magnetic north. A compass induced to start spinning while close to what has pulled it all these years will continue spinning until something slows and stops it. Perhaps all this crazy and erratic human behavior in this hour might indicate the loss of bearing that comes when something strong begins to overwhelm our internal compasses. Someone is approaching.What sort of magnetic pull would the approach of our Lord and Master have on the hearts that love him?Want more? Order your copy of Resilient today.

How would you score your soul these days:Are you happy most of the time? How often do you feel lighthearted? Are you excited about your future? Do you feel deeply loved? When was the last time you felt carefree?I know, it’s not even fair to ask. Our souls are bleary, seared, smeared. Still able to love, yes; still able to hope and dream. But at the end of any given day, most people come home in a state of exhaustion. Numb on our good days, fried more often than we admit. “I feel all thin, sort of stretched,” as Bilbo said, “like butter that has been scraped over too much bread.” The world has gone completely mad, and it’s trying to take our souls with it.Now, if we had more of God, that would really help. We could draw upon his love and strength, his wisdom and resilience. After all, God is the fountain of life (Psalm 36:9). If we had more of his lavish life bubbling up in us, it would be a rescue in this soul-scorching hour.But this frantic, volatile world constantly wilts the soul, dries it out like a raisin, making it almost impossible to receive the life God is pouring forth.That’s called a double bind.I tried to find more of God, knowing if I only had a greater measure of his life in me, I’d be able to navigate this rough terrain. I was practicing the usual stuff–prayer, worship, scripture, sacrament. But still I felt ... I don’t know ... shallow somehow. Sipping God with teaspoons, not drinking great gulps; wading, not swimming. My soul felt like a shallow rain puddle. But I know the soul isn’t a shallow puddle at all; it’s deep and vast, capable of symphonies and heroic courage. I wanted to be living from those deep places. Want more? Order your copy of Get Your Life Back today

The thought of me being called out of hiding is unnerving. I don’t think I want to be seen. Many years ago, during my life in the theater, I received a standing ovation for anperformance. The audience was literally on its feet, cheering. What actor doesn’t crave a standing ovation? So you know what I did? I ran. Literally. As soon as the curtain went down I bolted for the door, so I wouldn’t have to talk to anyone. I didn’t want to be seen. I know, it’s weird, but I’ll bet you feel the same about being unveiled.You probably can’t imagine there being a glory to your life, let alone one that the Enemy fears. But remember—things are not what they seem. We are not what we seem. You probably believed that your heart was bad too. I pray that fog of poison gas from the pit of hell is fading away in the wind of God’s truth. And there is more. Not only does Christ say to you that your heart is good, he invites you now out of the shadows to unveil your glory. You have a role you never dreamed of having. There’s the beautiful scene toward the end of Joseph’s life where he, too, is unveiled. The very brothers who sold him into slavery as a boy are standing before what they believe is an angry Egyptian lord, equal in power to Pharaoh himself, their knees knocking. The silver cup of this dreaded lord was found stashed away in their luggage as they headed out of town — placed there by Joseph himself as a ruse. Now Joseph interrogates them till they squirm, deepening the plot by using an interpreter as if he doesn’t understand Hebrew, pressing them hard. Finally, unable to hold back his tears, he reveals himself: “I am Joseph; does my father still live? ... So you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt ... and you shall hurry and bring my father down here” (Genesis 45:3, 13 NKJV). This is who I really am! Tell him about my glory! Amazing.Want more? Order your copy of Waking the Dead today.

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. (Romans 8:22–25)Amazing. Paul is passing along to us the secret of the sojourning heart. We live in hope, and he says hoping is waiting. And groaning. When was the last time you heard that in a sermon or the title for a new book? You, Too, Can Groan Inwardly While You Wait Eagerly! Everything I’ve seen lately offers a sure-fire way to “get what you want.” How to be a success at work. How to be a success at love. How to succeed in work and love at the same time. Here are questions to ask yourself to see if you are a pilgrim or an arranger: What am I waiting for? Is there anything I ardently desire that I am doing nothing to secure? The first time I asked myself, I couldn’t name a thing. There were many things I was working on, or fretting over, or had given up wanting. Thankfully, this was some time ago. Things are different now. Now I wonder, What am I still arranging for? I should like to let it go too.Want more? Order your copy of The Journey of Desire today.

I love feeling happy. Absolutely love it. Who doesn't? But my pursuit of it has sometimes gotten me into trouble. I'm pretty sure it's gotten you into trouble too.Sometimes I wonder if, in our mad pursuit of happiness, we run right past the joy that might be ours. We work hard to change our circumstances or change ourselves so that we might be happy. We get ourselves into addictive behaviors (exercise, by the way, is also very addicting; so is organizing your life). Then we work hard to get ourselves out of our addictions, which sometimes only makes matters worse. And all the while, God is right beside us with a gentle invitation to joy. But we can’t hear that invitation while we are focused on whatever it is we think has to happen in order to make us happy. If we want to live in the power of Jesus’ resurrection, we must first pass through the crucifixion. We must stop running. Self-soothing may last for a moment, but that moment may become a doorway to a cell. Jesus came to set us free, and in Him we can be. But we will not be free if we continue to hide and refuse to face the bitter sorrow that must be braved in order to bear goodness. Suffering is an essential part of all our lives. And it is when we are in the very midst of it that God reminds us that the absence of suffering is not our good. The presence of God is our good. And knowing His presence in the pain is the sweetest gift of all.Want more? Order your copy of Defiant Joy today.

Our life of faith is uncertain, but we can be expectant of good. Because we belong to God, we can rest in knowing his promises to us are true and he is faithful. It’s not a question of if God is going to show up but how and when. It is not a question of if he is going to move on our behalf but how he will. It isn’t even a question of if he is going to continue pursuing and wooing us deeper into his heart filled with affection for us but if we will recognize him. We can live with joyful uncertainty and expectancy. There are no ifs with God. The only ifs relate to us. If we trust him.If we believe him.If we ask him.If we continue to ask him.Want more? Order your copy of Becoming Myself today.

Most people assume that the Cross is the total work of Christ. The two go hand in hand in our minds — Jesus Christ and the Cross; the Cross and Jesus Christ. The Resurrection is impressive, but kind of ... an afterthought. It was needed, of course, to get him out of the grave. Or the Resurrection is important because it proves Jesus was the Son of God. His death was the real work on our behalf. The Resurrection is like an epilogue to the real story; the extra point after the touchdown; the medal ceremony after the Olympic event. You can see which we think is more important. What image do we put on our churches, our Bibles, on jewelry? The cross is the symbol of Christianity worldwide. However ...The cross was never meant to be the only or even the central symbol of Christianity.That you are shocked by what I’ve just said only proves how far we’ve strayed from the faith of the New Testament. The cross is not the sole focal point of Christianity. Paul says so himself: “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith ... If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:14, 17). Want more? Order your copy of Waking The Dead today

Remember, when Jesus boiled his whole mission down to healing the brokenhearted and setting prisoners free from darkness, he was referring to all of us. Our modern, scientific, Enlightenment worldview has simply removed spiritual warfare as a practical category, and so it shouldn't surprise us that we can't see spiritual strongholds after we say they don't really exist.If you deny the battle raging against your heart, well, then, the thief just gets to steal and kill and destroy. Some friends of mine started a Christian school together a few years ago. It had been their shared dream for nearly all their adult lives. After years of praying and talking and dreaming, it finally happened. Then the assault came ... but they would not see it as such. It was "hassles" and "misunderstanding" at first. As it grew worse, it became a rift between them. A mutual friend warned them of the warfare, urged them to fight it as such. "No," they insisted, "this is about us. We just don't see eye-to-eye." I'm sorry to say their school shut its doors a few months ago, and the two aren't speaking to each other. Because they refused to fight it for the warfare it was, they got taken out. I could tell you many, many stories like that.There is no war is the subtle — but pervasive — lie sown by an Enemy so familiar to us we don't even see him. For too long he has infiltrated the ranks of the church, and we haven't even recognized him. Want more? Order your copy of Waking the Dead today

What can this incessant craving, and this impotence of attainment mean, unless there was once a happiness belonging to man, of which only the faintest traces remain, in that void which he attempts to fill with everything within his reach? But it is in vain he seeks from absent objects the relief things present can not give, and which neither of them can give; because, in a soul that will live forever, there is an infinite void that nothing can fill, but an infinite unchangeable being. (Pensées)You can be satisfied, says Blaise Pascal; you just can’t be sated. There is great joy in a glass of cabernet; the whole bottle is another story. Intimate conversation satisfies a different thirst, but how awful to try to arrange for it again the next night and the night after that. The Israelites tried to hoard the manna—and it crawled with maggots. Our soul’s insatiable desire becomes the venom Pascal warns of when it demands its fill here and now, through the otherwise beautiful and good gifts of our lives.God grants us so much of our heart’s desire as we delight in him: “You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing” (Psalm 145:16). Not always, not on demand, but certainly more than we deserve. God delights to give good gifts to his beloved. But that old root would have us shift once more from giver to gift, and seek our rest through being full. This is the turn we must be vigilant to see, watching over our hearts with loving care. Want more? Order your copy of The Journey of Desire today

Jesus enjoyed people. Not everyone does, you know. Many stories find him feasting with a rowdy crowd. He invited twelve men to spend day and night with him for three years. His longing for companionship intensifies to a crescendo in Gethsemane: “He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him. ...‘Stay here and keep watch with me’” (Matt. 26:37–38). Don’t leave me alone, not now. How urgently human. Yes, Jesus knew loneliness. He’s not pretending. The one who created the human heart — whose own heart was so kind and so vast — this man felt deeply. He who created love and friendship longed for it.This is no superhero, steeled and impervious to the human condition. Far from it.And loneliness is something we all share with him. To be missed, or misunderstood. To be judged unfairly. To be wanted for what you can do, rather than who you are. To go on for years unappreciated, even unknown by those closest to you. Imagine living your entire life in a world where the people closest to you don’t get you. Oh...you do live in that world. And Jesus understands. Want more? Order your copy of Beautiful Outlaw today

When God creates Eve, he calls her an ezer kenegdo. “It is not good for the man to be alone, I shall make him [an ezer kenegdo]” (Genesis 2:18 Alter). Hebrew scholar Robert Alter, who has spent years translating the book of Genesis, says that this phrase is “notoriously difficult to translate.” The various attempts we have in English are “helper” or “companion” or the notorious “help meet.” Why are these translations so incredibly wimpy, boring, flat ... disappointing? What is a help meet, anyway? What little girl dances through the house singing, “One day I shall be a help meet”? Companion? A dog can be a companion. Helper? Sounds like Hamburger Helper. Alter is getting close when he translates it “sustainer beside him.”The word ezer is used only twenty other places in the entire Old Testament. And in every other instance the person being described is God himself, when you need him to come through for you desperately.There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens to help you ... Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. (Deuteronomy 33:26, 29, emphasis added)I lift up my eyes to the hills — where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1–2, emphasis added)May the LORD answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May he send you help. (Psalm 20:1–2, emphasis added)We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. (Psalm 33:20, emphasis added)O house of Israel, trust in the LORD—he is their help and shield.O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD—he is their help and shield. You who fear him, trust in the LORD—he is their help and shield. (Psalm 115:9–11, emphasis added)Most of the contexts are life and death, by the way, and God is your only hope. Your ezer. If he is not there beside you ... you are dead. A better translation therefore of ezer would be “lifesaver.” Kenegdo means alongside, or opposite to, a counterpart.You see, the life God calls us to is not a safe life. Ask Joseph, Abraham, Moses, Deborah, Esther — any of the friends of God from the Old Testament. Ask Mary and Lazarus; ask Peter, James, and John; ask Priscilla and Aquila — any of the friends of God in the New Testament. God calls us to a life involving frequent risks and many dangers. Why else would we need him to be our ezer? Want more? Order your copy of Captivating today

After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” “Yes, he does,” he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes — from their own sons or from others?” “From others,” Peter answered. “Then the sons are exempt,” Jesus said to him. “But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.” (Matthew 17:24–27)Peter has taken an enormous risk hitching his wagon to Jesus. The little band of minstrels have passed the raised-eyebrows stage and are about to enter the period of opposition to Christ—the pitchforks-and-torches stage. Peter is confronted by the elders of his own village with a troubling question. He comes into the house visibly shaken, and sees his master standing at the counter chopping vegetables. There is a moment of silence, while the pang of doubt shoots through his mind: Perhaps the Master is not as righteous as we thought; he does not seem to keep the Law. Jesus does not look up; he simply says, “What do you think, Simon ... ?”“Peter, I’ll tell you what I need you to do. ...” He sends the fisherman fishing. He gives him time to sort things out. He shows him there are higher laws to live by. Jesus has a sense of humor. Without a deep confidence in that, the story is simply bizarre. But with that understanding, it is a beautiful and very human and also immensely funny story. The fruit of which is only to make us love him more. Want more? Order your copy of Beautiful Outlaw today

One last thought as we sweep away some of the clutter about holiness.I don’t remember the issue my friend and I were talking about — it had something to do with Christianity — but I do remember my friend’s response: “Gosh, I’m not really sure,” he said. And I thought it a humble and gracious posture to take. Only it’s been five years now and he’s still saying, “I’m not really sure.” He has landed in that place. Now I see what happened. He has chosen doubt, a posture very attractive and honored in our day.Doubt is “in.”…So doubt, masquerading as humility, has become a virtue, a prerequisite for respect. People of strong conviction are suspect. Many Christians I know have settled for a sort of laid-back doubt, believing it to be a genuine character decision; they thinks it’s a virtue. Now, I appreciate the desire for humility, and the fear of being dogmatic. I think those are good concerns. But friends, conviction is not the enemy. Pride is. Arrogance is. But not conviction. As G. K. Chesterton said, “An open mind is really a mark of foolishness, like an open mouth … The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid.” Want more? Order your copy of Free to Live today

How does God shape our character? We hate the answer but we know it to be true: affliction.  If you say that God does not intend to use affliction, then what in your mind does he then use? Joy does wonderful things for our souls—it soothes, and strengthens, and heals. But joy does not transform people’s characters in the same way affliction does. You do not grow when life is good. Any parent knows this. The child wants ice cream and video games. But the child will grow to be a narcissist if they are allowed nothing but ice cream and video games. The most radiant holiness, the most genuine and glorious love is expressed by those whose lives have known affliction. Jesus best among them.  Our longing for life keeps confusing us about the purpose of life.  We ache for life to come together as it was meant to be. And it will, friends; it will. Very soon. But in the meantime, the purpose of life in this hour is not escaping to Hawaii, or whatever your version of happiness may be. Our “education” in this hour, the goal of our maturing is holiness, the beauty of Jesus Christ formed in us, which is something that requires a great deal of maturity to accept (you see how few accept it). By all that is holy and beautiful — clearly the purpose of life is not the removal of all affliction, or would we put ourselves above Jesus? Want more? Order your copy of Moving Mountains today

Picture in your mind’s eye an image of a great warrior, a renowned champion, returning home from far-off lands. His fame has long preceded him, and now the reports of his feats are confirmed by the scars he bears, the remembrance of wounds more noble than any tokens of honor. With dignity he moves up the main causeway of the city, lined with the faces of his people, the very people for whom he has fought bravely, whose freedom he has secured. The warrior has returned after years on the field of battle, returning only when triumph was achieved and not a moment before. This is his homecoming, and it is as a conquering hero he returns. Before him, at the head of the street, stands the king, who is his father. The scene is both a homecoming and a coronation. For the father-king will now hand the kingdom over to his son.Who is this coming from Edom,      from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor,      striding forward in the greatness of his strength? “It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.” (Isaiah 63:1 NIV)After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.  ...About the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever.” (Hebrew 1:3, 8 NIV)It could be a passage from David’s life, for he came to the throne after proving himself as a warrior. But I am referring to Jesus, of course, and while this is all quite true — biblically, historically — I’m afraid the power of it eludes us. Few of us have ever lived in a kingdom, under a king. Even fewer have ever met one. Want more? Order your copy of Fathered By God today

The child-heart wants to know, “Will there be animals in heaven?” and the calloused grown-up heart dismisses the question as theologically unworthy. May I point out that the whole debate ends when you realize that heaven comes to earth; our home is right here on a renewed planet. How could our creative God renew his precious earth and not fill it with a renewed animal kingdom? That would be like a school without children, a village without people. The sheer barrenness and bleakness of the thought is utterly abhorrent to the child-heart of God and his love for the animals, his precious creations.We know there are horses, for Jesus and his company return on horseback:Then I saw Heaven open wide — and oh! a white horse and its Rider. The Rider, named Faithful and True, judges and makes war in pure righteousness. ...The armies of Heaven, mounted on white horses and dressed in dazzling white linen, follow him. (Revelation 19:11–14 THE MESSAGE)I wonder what Jesus named his horse. Does he come to his whistle? Does he need a saddle? I bet he rides bareback like the American Indians did. I’ve seen those horses, the cavalry of heaven, several times now. It happened as we brought the gospel on mission into foreign territory. We would be in a time of worship and suddenly I would “see” the front line of mounted horsemen spreading out before me like the Rohirrim before Gondor in The Lord of the Rings, pennants waving, row upon row of horse and rider behind, lifted spears like a forest. Oh yes — there are horses in the kingdom.The wolf will romp with the lamb,       the leopard sleep with the kid. Calf and lion will eat from the same trough,      and a little child will tend them. Cow and bear will graze the same pasture,      their calves and cubs grow up together,      and the lion eat straw like the ox. The nursing child will crawl over rattlesnake dens,      the toddler stick his hand down the hole of a serpent. Neither animal nor human will hurt or kill      on my holy mountain. The whole earth will be brimming with knowing God-Alive,      a living knowledge of God ocean-deep, ocean-wide. (Isaiah 11:6–9 THE MESSAGE)Now, unless you want to dismiss this as completely allegorical, we have wolves, lambs, leopards, goats, cows, lions, and bears in the kingdom as well. The passage is clearly describing the kingdom of God operating in its fullness on earth — the renewal of all things. And animals are clearly a part of it, praise our loving Father. Want more? Order your copy of All Things New today

The most dangerous man on earth is the man who has reckoned with his own death. "All men die; few men ever really live." Sure, you can create a safe life for yourself ... and end your days in a rest home babbling on about some forgotten misfortune. I’d rather go down swinging. Besides, the less we are trying to “save ourselves,” the more effective a warrior we will be. Listen to G. K. Chesterton on courage:Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die. “He that will lose his life, the same shall save it” is not a piece of mysticism for saints and heroes. It is a piece of everyday advice for sailors or mountaineers. It might be printed in an Alpine guide or a drill book. The paradox is the whole principle of courage; even of quite earthly or quite brutal courage. A man cut off by the sea may save his life if he will risk it on the precipice. He can only get away from death by continually stepping within an inch of it. A soldier surrounded by enemies, if he is to cut his way out, needs to combine a strong desire for living with a strange carelessness about dying. He must not merely cling to life, for then he will be a coward, and will not escape. He must not merely wait for death, for then he will be a suicide, and will not escape. He must seek his life in a spirit of furious indifference to it; he must desire life like water and yet drink death like wine. Want more? Order your copy of Wild at Heart today

The desire to be beautiful is an ageless longing. Beauty has been extolled and worshiped and kept just out of reach for most of us. (Do you like having your picture taken? Do you like seeing those pictures later? How do you feel when people ask you your age? This issue of beauty runs deep!) For others, beauty has been shamed, used, and abused. Some of you have learned that possessing beauty can be dangerous. And yet— and this is just astounding— in spite of all the pain and distress that beauty has caused us as women, the desire remains.And it's not just the desire for an outward beauty, but more — a desire to be captivating in the depths of who you are. Cinderella is beautiful, yes, but she is also good. Her outward beauty would be hollow were it not for the beauty of her heart. That's why we love her. In The Sound of Music, the Countess has Maria beat in the looks department, and they both know it. But Maria has a rare and beautiful depth of spirit. She has the capacity to love whiskers on kittens and mean-spirited children. She sees the handiwork of God in music and laughter and climbing trees. Her soul is Alive. And we are drawn to her.Ruth may have been a lovely, strong woman, but it is to her unrelenting courage and vulnerability and faith in God that Boaz is drawn. Esther is the most beautiful woman in the land, but it is her bravery and her cunning, good heart that moves the king to spare her people. This isn't about dresses and makeup ... Don't you recognize that a woman yearns to be seen and to be thought of as captivating? We desire to possess a beauty that is worth pursuing, worth fighting for, a beauty that is core to who we truly are. We want beauty that can be seen; beauty that can be felt; beauty that affects others; a beauty all our own to unveil.Want more? Order your copy of Captivating today

A week or two after the foot washing, following the cross and the empty tomb, Jesus appears on the shore just across from where the boys are fishing. He acts like a guy out for a stroll, asks if they had any luck, suggests they try one more spot, and reproduces the catch that caught them all in the beginning. Watch how Peter responds this time:The disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. (John 21:7)Peter is a hundred yards offshore. That’s about three city blocks—a long way to swim, especially in a full-length robe. It would be like trying to swim wrapped in a bed sheet. Peter doesn’t care. He doesn’t wait for the boat, forgets about the fish, and as quick as you can say, “Jack be nimble” he hits the water, swimming, thrashing, gasping for air, then stumbling ashore fast as he can to get to Jesus. Do you think he then drew another line in the sand? “Hello, sir. Mr. Christ, may I approach?” Peter is a passionate, emotional, impulsive guy. He just swam a hundred yards in his bathrobe. I’ll bet dollars to donuts he ran right up to Jesus, sopping wet as laundry from the washer, and hugged him, soaking the risen Lord.If Peter didn’t do it, you know Jesus did, adding his tears of joy to the wet embrace.Beautiful. That’s the way to do it, friends. Just begin to make a practice of loving Jesus. Relate to him as you see his friends did in the Gospels. Want more? Order your copy of Beautiful Outlaw today

We live in a world filled with beauty and wonder, adventure and laughter, but also too often filled with difficulty, fear, danger, and pain. Courage is the quality of spirit that enables one to face danger, pain, difficulty, or fear with confidence. We can have confidence! Not based on our own ability to manage life but based on the faithfulness of Jesus. Confidence is from the Latin words con and fide, which mean “with faith.” Our confidence rests in the strength and goodness of God. Living a life of courage is not about striving to become something or someone else. It is resting by faith in the God who says, I have called you, and I will do it! (1 Thess. 5:24)...The secret is you can’t. You can’t. But Jesus can. Christ in you can. He is the secret! There is nothing that makes God tremble. Jesus who died on the cross for you entered into the worst nightmare imaginable and demanded that Satan hand over the keys to hell. Jesus rose triumphantly and is seated at the right hand of God… Jesus is alive today and living his life through you. Want more? Order your copy of Becoming Myself today

Ignoring reality does not breed joy. Pretending that what is true does not exist is not holy defiance. The seeds of joy can only be firmly planted in the pungent soil of the here and now while at the same time being tethered to eternity. Joy is fully rooted in the truth. Joy embraces all the senses and is fully awake to the laughter, the wonder, and the beauty present in the moment as well as the sorrow, the angst, and the fear. Joy says, “Even so, I have a reason to celebrate.” Crazy, right? Sounds like God. A God who laughs at the sneers of the enemy, stares suffering in the face, and proclaims with fierce love, “You do not have the final word.” And as He does, He captures our deep hearts with a hope that defies death. Defiant may not be a word we would normally associate with the living God, but it can actually be quite fitting. Defiance means resistance, opposition, noncompliance, disobedience, dissent, and rebellion. And when it comes to things that would destroy our souls, that is exactly the right response. We are called to resist the lies of the enemy. Like Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress, we do not comply with the Vanity Fair offerings of the world. We are instructed not to obey the clamoring of the flesh. We are urged to rebel against sin. By the life of Christ in us, we oppose death and destruction. We dissent by casting our vote against the belief that sorrow and endless suffering win Instead we welcome life, love, and the full work of Christ to bring all of His goodness into every aspect of our and His domains. We comply with truth. We obey our God. We respect His authority and His final say. We overcome evil with good. We defy hatred by embracing love. We choose joy. In the midst of all the suffering in the world, it can feel irresponsible, even frivolous, to have joy. And yet, and still, we are called to it. Certainly there is a time to grieve. There is a time to mourn. To wail. To sigh. There is a time to know our loss and not have to cheer the teppanyaki chef, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have joy even in that painful knowing. Joy is the heartbeat of the kingdom of God. Joy is what sustains us; it is our strength. We can be resilient. We can be filled with the expectation of good things. And we can have joy in the midst of the lamentations of our lives. Want more? Order your copy of Defiant Joy today

Jesus Christ is the forerunner for the Great Renewal, “the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead” (Colossians 1:18). He died, as everyone has and will. But on the third day he was raised to life, leaving his grave clothes folded neatly in the tomb. (A very touching detail, I might add, as if to say, “And that’s that,” like a man putting away his flannel pajamas now that winter is past.) On Easter morning Jesus walked out of the grave radiantly alive, restored, and everyone recognized him. The “new” Jesus is not someone or something else now; he is the Jesus they loved and knew. He walked with them, had meals with them — just like before. The most striking thing about the post-resurrection activities of Jesus is that they were so remarkably ordinary: Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”  “No,” they answered.  He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. ... When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.  Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. (John 21:4–6, 9–13) This is such a homely scene, so commonplace, the sort of thing you’d expect to run into along the shore of Lake Michigan or the Mississippi. Just a group of guys hanging out at the beach, cooking breakfast for some friends. Jesus’ restored life is surprisingly like his “former” life. As will be drinking wine at the feast; as will be the feast itself (how many of you realize you eat in the life to come?!). The Great Renewal rescues us from all the vague, ethereal, unimaginable visions we’ve been given of an eternal life Somewhere Up Above.When Jesus speaks of the Restoration, he does so in very tangible terms, pointing to the recovery of normal things like houses and lands:  “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne ... everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:28–29) Want more? Order your copy of All Things New today

You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. (Ezekiel 28:12–15)Standing at the head of the vast legions of angelic hosts (millions, as the biblical record counts) was a captain. The most beautiful, the most powerful of them all. The commander of the armies of God. The guardian of the glory of the Lord. His name was Lucifer. “Son of the morning.” Glorious as the sun. Unequaled among his noble peers.And here is where the Story takes its first dramatic turn.There is a danger for the glorious that the humble never know; a trial for the powerful that the weak never face. You see this in the worst of the dictators, the Hitlers and Stalins, the Maos and Amins — they set themselves up to be idols. They want more than power; they want to be worshiped.Pride entered Lucifer’s heart.The excellent captain came to believe he was being cheated somehow. He didn’t merely want to play a noble role in the Story; he wanted the Story to be about him. He coveted the throne; he wanted to be the star. He wanted the worship and adoration for himself.Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.  (Ezekiel 28:17)Lucifer turned on his Maker. And there was war in heaven. Want more? Order your copy of Epic today

When God begins to shine his light on some issue in my life, be it internal or some issue taking place around me, I often have a hunch where things might be leading. You know what I mean — I see Christians do this all the time. We get a glimpse of what God might be up to, and we start speculating and filling in the blanks, bringing all our biases and inclinations to it instead of simply listening to him for more. For example, you sense God prompting you to help your parents financially, and you’re already inclined to do that, so you just go and do it without stopping to ask, Now? How much? Or, you sense God’s conviction on a long-standing sin in your life. Being inclined to self-contempt and beating yourself up, you just jump to, I knew it. It’s my fault. I’m the idiot, and you start making all your plans and resolutions to change (despite the fact that it never works). If you’d stayed with God on the matter, you might have heard his love and tenderness and his gentle counsel for a different way of handling it.Filling in the blanks. That’s what this is. We are constantly filling in the blanks of what we think God is up to instead of asking him. It isn’t helpful. It’s taking the ball and running with it, leaving God behind. Ask the next question, remember?For the past couple mornings when I’ve sat down at the table to have a quick bowl of oatmeal, I’ve opened my Bible to read a bit, and both times it just opened to Psalm 41. Here is what I read: “I said, ‘O Lord, have mercy on me; / heal me, for I have sinned against you’” (41:4).Do you hear David’s approach to God? He doesn’t expect to get slammed. He doesn’t just promise to repent and do better. He knows he has turned from God, and he knows what he needs is healing. So this is what I prayed: I ask you to heal the things in me that have led to this self-obsession, this looking to my ability to get it done, get it right, stay on top of things. Forgive me. I want to be centered in your love in me. You in me. Heal me. Want more? Order your copy of Walking With God today

Our beloved family dog is dying. But I’m not going to drag you through that tragedy; I want to share something gracious I’m learning through it.Only yesterday our vet told us that our sweet golden retriever is very ill, and tonight we’re supposed to go out to dinner with some friends. I’m torn, because we’ve been scheduling, canceling, and rescheduling this dinner for six months, and part of me really wants to go. But part of me is dealing with the loss of the family dog. What I’m aware of in this moment is how often I need to put my soul aside in order to carry on with the demands of life. We all do. Life goes on, despite our personal struggles. You lose your father on a Wednesday; corporate America expects you back at the office Monday. It’s hard on the soul. It’s hard on our life with God.But tonight I don’t need to put my soul aside. Our friends are understanding; we can reschedule. The question is, why is practicing kindness towards my own soul so unfamiliar that it would be easy to ignore something as precious as the death of our dog to “carry on with things?” This world requires us to keep going at such speeds that we end up having only one emotional state towards everything — a general, haggard, hazy condition of “on.” I’m on for this meeting; I’m on for this call with my mom; I’m on for the news the vet has. There’s no margin for anything else.So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. (Ephesians 1:6–8 NLT)God is rich is kindness, and he has showered kindness on us. This is so lovely and life-giving, we need to pause and reflect on it. Kindness. Such a simple virtue, it often takes a back seat to more dramatic qualities like bravery, holiness, or love (kindness sort of feels like the younger stepchild to love). And yet kindness is such a wonderful thing to receive.Don’t you love it when people are kind to you?I sure do. In a world growing increasingly angry and hostile, a little bit of kindness can make your day. Want more? Order your copy of Get Your Life Back today

Think of consecration as “aligning” and “enforcing” — aligning yourself, or the subject in question, with Jesus and all the laws of his kingdom, then enforcing his rule and those laws over the matter in question. The first steps, which we have covered already, are mostly the “aligning” part. But often the “enforcing” requires a bit more “oomph,” especially if you are having difficulties there. Which brings me to the power of “proclaiming.”In Acts 9, when Ananias came to pray over Saul, he proclaimed the Lord’s intentions there: “Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord — Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here — has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit’” (v. 17).Interesting — we don’t see Ananias pray to God for Saul; instead, we see him “proclaim” God’s intentions over Saul, and that is sufficient to see them fulfilled. The Scripture is mighty and powerful, and proclaiming it as we consecrate has mighty and powerful effects. Want more? Order your copy of Moving Mountains today

First, our lives are not a random series of events; they tell a Story that has meaning. We aren’t in a movie we’ve arrived at twenty minutes late; we are in a Sacred Romance. There really is something wonderful that draws our heart; we are being wooed.But there is also something fearful. We face an enemy with vile intentions. Is anyone in charge? Someone strong and kind who notices us? At some point we have all answered that question “no” and gone on to live in a smaller story. But the answer is “yes”—there is someone strong and kind who notices us. Our Story is written by God who is more than author, he is the romantic lead in our personal dramas. He created us for himself and now he is moving heaven and earth to restore us to his side. His wooing seems wild because he seeks to free our heart from the attachments and addictions we’ve chosen, thanks to the Arrows we’ve known.And we—who are we, really? We are not pond scum, nor are we the lead in the story. We are the Beloved; our hearts are the most important thing about us and our desire is wild because it is made for a wild God. We are the Beloved, and we are addicted. We’ve either given our heart to other lovers and can’t get out of the relationships, or we’ve tried our best to kill desire (often with the help of others) and live lives of safe, orderly control. Either way, we play into the hands of the one who hates us. Satan is the mortal enemy of God and therefore ours as well, who comes with offers of less-wild lovers, hoping to deceive us in order to destroy our heart and thus prevent our salvation or cripple our sanctification.These are the stage, the characters, and the plot in the broadest possible terms. Where do we go from here?We are faced with a decision that grows with urgency each passing day: Will we leave our small stories behind and venture forth to follow our Beloved into the Sacred Romance?The choice to become a pilgrim of the heart can happen any day and we can begin our journey from any place. We are here, the time is now, and the Romance is always unfolding. The choice before us is not to make it happen. As Chesterton said, “An adventure is, by its nature, a thing that comes to us. It is a thing that chooses us, not a thing that we choose.” Lucy wasn’t looking for Narnia when she found it on the other side of the wardrobe; in a way, it found her. Abraham wasn’t wandering about looking for the one true God; he showed up with an extraordinary invitation. But having had their encounters, both could have chosen otherwise. Lucy could have shut the wardrobe door and never mentioned what had happened there. Abraham could have opted for life in Haran.The choice before us is a choice to enter in.Want More? Order your copy of The Sacred Romance today

Compare the shriveled life held up as a model of Christian maturity with the life revealed in the book of Psalms:You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (16:11)As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? (42:1–2)O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; My soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land, where there is no water. (63:1)Ask yourself, could this person be promoted to a position of leadership in my church? Heavens, no. He is far too unstable, to passionate, too desirous. It’s all about pleasure and desire and thirst. And David, who wrote most of the psalms, was called by God a “man after his own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14).Christianity has nothing to say to the person who is completely happy with the way things are. Its message is for those who hunger and thirst — for those who desire life as it was meant to be. Why does Jesus appeal to desire? Because it is essential to his goal: bringing us life. He heals the fellow at the pool of Bethesda, by the way. The two blind men get their sight, and the woman at the well finds the love she has been seeking. Reflecting on these events, the apostle John looked at what Jesus offered and what he delivered and said: “He who has the Son has life” (1 John 5:12). Want more? Order your copy of The Journey of Desire today

You have been ransomed by Christ. Your treachery is forgiven. You are entirely pardoned for every wrong thought and desire and deed. This is what the vast majority of Christians understand as the central work of Christ for us. And make no mistake about it — it is a deep and stunning truth, one that will set you free and bring you joy. For a while. But the joy for most of us has proved fleeting, because we find that we need to be forgiven again and again and again. Christ has died for us, but we remain (so we believe) deeply marred. It actually ends up producing a great deal of guilt. “After all that Christ has done for you ... and now you’re back here asking forgiveness again?” To be destined to a life of repeating the very things that sent our Savior to the cross can hardly be called salvation.Think of it: you are a shadow of the person you were meant to be. You have nothing close to the life you were meant to have. And you have no real chance of becoming that person or finding that life. However, you are forgiven. For the rest of your days, you will fail in your attempts to become what God wants you to be. You should seek forgiveness and try again. Eventually, shame and disappointment will cloud your understanding of yourself and your God. When this ongoing hell on earth is over, you will die, and you will be taken before your God for a full account of how you didn’t measure up. But you will be forgiven. After that, you’ll be asked to take your place in the choir of heaven. This is what we mean by “salvation.”The good news is ... that is not Christianity. Oh, I know it is what most people now living think Christianity is all about, including the majority of Christians. Thank God, they are wrong. There is more. A lot more. And that more is what most of us have been longing for most of our lives.Want more? Order your copy of Waking the Dead today

We can have joy, because we can know God’s strength in our weakness. Because God’s mercies are new every morning. Because as we walk through this valley of this shadow of death, we are never abandoned or alone. Our God goes before us, and He is behind us, around us, and within us. We can have joy, no matter what sorrow or suffering we are currently enduring, because we have been chosen by the Father and He will never turn His face away. We are loved. Forever. And nothing can ever separate us from that love. We can have joy because we are engraved on our Father’s heart and on Jesus’ nail-scarred hands, and in Christ we are victorious. The suffering doesn’t have the final say. In fact, God is going to use it for even more good to come into our lives. James 1:2–4 tells us to “consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” God is growing us up. He is committed to making us the mature bride of Christ: And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Rom. 5:3–5 NASB) The sorrow and grief that come are real, and we have a God who is well acquainted with them. He doesn’t ask us to ignore our grief but to invite Him into it that we might bear it together. No matter what, we can know an internal defiant joy because death has been defeated. Life has won. There is suffering, yes. But always there is the potential for joy. In the face of the ultimate reality won for us by Jesus, we don’t have to pretend that life is better than it is, that we don’t hurt as much as we do, or that we feel happy when we are not. We are invited to be fully alive, awake, alert, and oriented to the truth, and to know that because of Jesus, we can be defiantly joyful. Want more? Order your copy of Defiant Joy today

You are going to have to come to terms with the partial nature of this life. Have you come to terms yet with the partial?Are you able to hold on to your faith when only some prayers are answered?It takes genuine maturity.Most people don’t even try to learn the ways of the kingdom; they just go about their days with a practical agnosticism, hoping things work out, tossing up prayers like they hope to score on a Jesus lottery ticket. They have little to show for it. Others discover the possibility of breakthrough for sons and daughters, allies of God; they begin to experience breathtaking results. Then their Eden-heart gets confused about what it means to be victorious.We can always be victorious — it just depends on what you mean by victorious. Or better, it depends on what God means by victorious. Want more? Order your copy of Moving Mountains today

The battle of desire is not something that just takes place within us or even between us. It is also taking place against us, all the time. Our desire is under nearly constant attack. “We come into the world longing,” says Gil Bailie, “for we know not what. We are desire. And desire is good, for it’s what takes us to God. But our desire is not hard-wired to God.” So we look to others to teach us what to desire. We are intensely imitative creatures, as Aristotle pointed out. It is how we learn language; it is how we master just about anything in life. It is also how we come to seize upon the objects of our desire. We all know this, though we don’t like to admit it.One example should suffice. I was at a garage sale, looking for some tools. There was a table saw at a wonderful price. Another fellow was sort of browsing around, standing in front of the saw but not seeming particularly interested. I opened my mouth and made the fatal error: “Wow, that’s a great price on that saw.” You know what happened next. Immediately, his nonchalance became intense interest, and since he was there before me, he drove off with a table saw that five minutes earlier he couldn’t have given two hoots about.The constant effort to arouse our desire and capture it can be described only as an assault. From the time we get up to the time we go to bed, we are inundated with one underlying message: it can be done. The life you are longing for can be achieved. Only buy this product, see this movie, drive this car, take this vacation, join this gym, what have you. The only disagreement is over the means, but everyone agrees on the end: we can find life now. Want more? Order your copy of The Journey of Desire today

Now — to find God, I have to look where God is. This might help folks who report that God “seems distant,” or as a friend recently commented (with a touch of cynicism), “He doesn’t seem to come around much.” If I want to find a hawk I look up in the sky, near the mountains where the thermals create an updraft. If I want to find our dog I simply have to find Stasi — he is usually curled up at her feet. Those who would find God must look where he lives — must live in the same manner, for the same things, for the same reasons. “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16).Every time we choose to love, we take a step closer to God; it’s like he’s right there. Every time we choose something else, we take a step away.I want God, so I choose love. Want more? Order your copy of Love & War today

The way to render a man happy, is to engage him with an object that will make him forget his private troubles. — PascalDon't be fooled by the apparent innocence of the object you've chosen as an idol; what is the function of it? Most of our idols also have a perfectly legitimate place in our lives. That's their cover, that's how we get away with our infidelity. The prophet Isaiah gives an example of this when he marvels at a man who cuts down a tree in the forest, and then puts it to two very different uses:Half of the wood he burns in the fire; Over it he prepares his meal, He roasts his meat and eats his fill.Nothing wrong here. That's the perfectly appropriate use of wood. But it doesn't end there (it rarely does):From the rest he makes a god, his idol;He bows down to it and worships He prays to it and says, "Save me; you are my god."The prophet is incredulous. "Doesn't he see what he's doing?," he wonders:No one stops to think, No one has the knowledge or understanding to say, "Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood? He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him; He cannot save himself or say, "Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?" (44:16-17,19-20)So there you have it: No one stops to think. No one wants to take a good, hard look at what they are really doing, for then we might see the lie. We would see the water hole for the muddy puddle it is. Our idols become the means by which we forget who we truly are and where we truly come from. They numb us. Want more? Order your copy of The Journey of Desire today

I was reading the prophet Jeremiah a few weeks ago when I ran across a passage that referred to God as "the Lord Almighty." To be honest, it didn't resonate. There's something too religious about the phrase; it sounds churchy, sanctimonious. The Lawd Almiiiighty. It sounds like something your grandmother would say when you came into her kitchen covered in mud. I found myself curious about what the actual phrase means in Hebrew. Might we have lost something in the translation? So I turned to the front of the version I was using for an explanation. Here is what the editors said:Because for most readers today the phrases "the Lord of hosts" and "God of hosts" have little meaning, this version renders them "the Lord Almighty" and "God Almighty." These renderings convey the sense of the Hebrew, namely, "he who is sovereign over all the 'hosts' (powers) in heaven and on earth, especially over the 'hosts' (armies) of Israel."No, they don't. They don't even come close. The Hebrew means "the God of angel armies," "the God of the armies who fight for his people." The God who is at war. Does "Lord Almighty" convey "the God who is at war"? Not to me, it doesn't. Not to anyone I've asked. It sounds like "the God who is up there but still in charge." Powerful, in control. The God of angel armies sounds like the one who would roll up his sleeves, take up sword and shield to break down gates of bronze, and cut through bars of iron to rescue me. Want more? Order your copy of Waking the Dead today

I think everyone prays at some point in their life, even if they’re not sure someone is listening. And I’ll bet that one of the most common prayers goes something like, Lord help me; give me strength.I really like that prayer. It has a genuine humility to it. We find ourselves facing something that overwhelms our personal resources, and we cry out for help, for strength. The man who casually answers his phone on a Tuesday afternoon only to hear that his family has been killed in an automobile accident. The woman who, at a routine exam, learns she has Stage IV breast cancer. The caregiver who day after day labors under the crushing load of providing for every need of their incapacitated loved one.Give me strength, Lord.Jesus liked that prayer.He instructed us to pray it, and he prayed it himself. (Hebrews 5:7) Toward the end of his days on earth, he began to give his disciples clear instructions for living through extremely hard times, knowing they would record those instructions for future generations — including you, dear ones. He assured us in no uncertain terms that this story would sweep toward a climax, and that those days would be especially hard on the human soul. He urged us to ask for the strength that prevails:Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that the Kingdom of God is near. I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear. Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21:29–36 NLT)Strong enough to escape — that’s who and what we want to be. Strong enough to be the survivors, the triumphant ones. To make it through the storm.This is no ordinary strength Jesus is offering. This isn’t optimism, this isn’t simply feeling refreshed for a new day. Hard times require something more than willpower. Jesus warns us, urges us, practically commands us to ask for strength. The Greek word used here is katischuó and it meansto be strong to another’s detriment; to prevail against; to be superior in strength; to overcome; to prevail.This is a valiant strength. It implies a fight, an enemy we can and will prevail over. Want more? Order your copy of Resilient today

Years ago some kind soul sent me a book on the devil. It was rather dated, from the 1960s I believe, complete with little caricature drawings of Satan as our adversary. I’m ashamed to admit my first thought was, I know plenty about spiritual warfare; this looks juvenile. I was put off by the outdated style and comic drawings of the devil as a horned figure, something from Halloween. I’m very grateful to say that just as I was getting ready to toss it out, Jesus said to me, There’s something in here for you. So I opened the book and began to read.The author was making a claim that our enemy has a secret hold in each one of us, an access point from within. That got my attention; we’d been dealing with a great deal of spiritual attack, and I was eager for new tools that would gain us a more lasting victory. The author went on to say that this trap door, this inside access the devil has in every person is the Self. Part of me knew it was true, so I read on.Satan’s fall was brought about because he chose to exalt himself over God:How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. For you said to yourself, “I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. ... I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.” (Isaiah 14:12–14 NLT)Later, he found in mankind something of the same weakness, stubbornness, and self-centeredness, that he successfully leveraged to have us follow his lead: we chose to disobey God and reach for what we want, and so we exalted ourselves over our Creator Father. We replaced God with Self on the throne of our life. The author of the little book I was sent went on to explain that the devil doesn’t particularly care what your personal sins are, how he gets you to stumble; what he delights in is this internal access he has, the precious Self. For while we entertain the Self, pamper it, let it have its way, we crowd out the life of God. Want more? Order your copy of Get Your Life Back today

Spiritual warfare often tries to work like a computer virus — it loves to transfer around to as many people as it can, infecting whole households or even churches. You can witness this with great clarity when you are standing outside of it. You will step into certain fellowships and immediately feel an arrogant attitude, or perhaps something that feels very “religious” and stifling; perhaps there is a sense of guilt overwhelming the group. You’ve seen the same thing in family systems — how a particular sin or brokenness will play out down through a family line, such as divorce, infidelity, pornography and sexual sin, alcoholism, violence, poverty, shame, fear. Somebody’s sin opened the door, and because the spiritual realm works on authority, the enemy will seize the opportunity of the sin (often repeated and habitual sins) and will try to oppress all those within the “system.” Want more? Order your copy of Moving Mountains today

You can tell a lot about a person by his effect on others. What is Jesus like to be around? What is the aftertaste he leaves in your mouth? Is this someone you’d want to take a long car ride with? We saw Zacchaeus’ reaction. Here are two more, from people quite different from each other and from Zacchaeus:One of the Pharisees asked him over for a meal. He went to the Pharisee’s house and sat down at the dinner table. Just then a woman of the village, the town harlot, having learned that Jesus was a guest in the home of the Pharisee, came with a bottle of very expensive perfume and stood at his feet, weeping, raining tears on his feet. Letting down her hair, she dried his feet, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfume. (Luke 7:36–38 TM)No comment of mine could add to the beauty of this moment. Nor to this one:Two others, both criminals, were taken along with him for execution. [...] One of the criminals hanging alongside cursed him: “Some Messiah you are! Save yourself! Save us!” But the other one made him shut up: “Have you no fear of God? You’re getting the same as him. We deserve this, but not him — he did nothing to deserve this.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom.” He said, “Don’t worry, I will. Today you will join me in paradise.” (Luke 23:32–43 TM)What is stunning to see in these brief accounts is that people who knew themselves to be anything but holy found the holiness of Jesus winsome, open-armed, and utterly compelling.Is this how you have understood holiness?It changes everything when you do. Want more? Order your copy of Free to Live today

To be a human being is to be stained glass—beautiful in our brokenness, but a collection of many parts nonetheless. Someone once wrote, “You are every age you have ever been.” They were speaking poetically but also naming something literal. You are six, eight, twelve, seventeen, and also your current age.The human heart and soul were designed for Eden. We live far from it, far off in a war-torn world that assaults the soul from the moment we take our first breath. (Even beforehand; in the womb a child can experience rejection, fear, even abandonment as their mother feels and projects those things into the pregnancy.) Sometimes the harm we experience in this world fragments the heart. Parts of us break off and remain stuck at that particular age until Jesus comes to heal them.We can call these areas of brokenness “young places” precisely because of the childish ways we respond when those areas are retraumatized. For example, someone gets mad at you, perhaps even yells at you. Part of you wants to run and hide in the closet— not the mature response of a forty-seven-year-old woman but that of a six-year-old girl. Or, the compulsion you have for ice cream whenever you are feeling anxious—not the mature reaction of a thirty-two-year-old man but rather the cry of a little boy who only ever felt loved when he was given ice cream. Most of us have had the experience, usually triggered by an upsetting event, where our internal world suddenly feels much younger than our current age. This is indication of the fragmentation caused by trauma, and let me add that when we are young it doesn’t take massive trauma to fragment our heart.Becoming aware of young places within you is a widely accepted practice in the therapeutic community. But our Creator foretold this centuries ago when the coming of his Messiah was announced in Isaiah 61:He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,to proclaim freedom for the captivesand release from darkness for the prisoners. (verse 1)The Hebrew for “brokenhearted” as used here is not a metaphor. It is blunt and vividly descriptive. Leb is Hebrew for “heart,” and shabar the word for “broken.” It is referring to a reality, not a poetic image. Elsewhere Isaiah uses shabar to describe a statue that has fallen to the ground and shattered into pieces. Actual fragmentation, not metaphor.Jesus chooses Isaiah 61 to announce his purpose in coming when he steps into the synagogue for his first public moment in Luke 4, placing the healing of our fragmentation at the epicenter of his mission to the human race. This is good news beyond our wildest hopes.Remember now—Jesus is your Creator. He planned on you, fashioned you in your mother’s womb, knows everything about you and everything about your story.Jesus is also able to access hidden things within us, for he knows the depths and mysteries of our being. With his help, and the help of the Holy Spirit, we can locate our fragmented parts and give Jesus access to them for their restoration.Want More? Order your copy of Experience Jesus. Really. today

Written centuries ago by St. Patrick, this is a profound and simple prayer for protection. We find ourselves returning to again and again:I arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity. Through belief in the threeness, Through confession of the oneness, Of the Creator of Creation.I arise today Through the strength of Christ's birth with His baptism, Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial, Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension, Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.I arise today Through the strength of the love of cherubim, In the obedience of angels, In the service of archangels, In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward, In the prayers of patriarchs, In the predictions of prophets, In the preaching of apostles, In the faith of confessors, In the innocence of holy virgins, In the deeds of righteous men.I arise today, through The strength of heaven, The light of the sun, The radiance of the moon, The splendor of fire, The speed of lightning, The swiftness of wind, The depth of the sea, The stability of the earth, The firmness of rock.I arise today, through God's strength to pilot me, God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me, God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me, God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me, God's shield to protect me, God's host to save me From snares of devils, From temptation of vices, From everyone who shall wish me ill, afar and near.I summon today All these powers between me and those evils, Against every cruel and merciless power that may oppose my body and soul, Against incantations of false prophets, Against black laws of pagandom, Against false laws of heretics, Against craft of idolatry, Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards, Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul; Christ to shield me today Against poison, against burning, Against drowning, against wounding, So that there may come to me an abundance of reward.Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me. Want more? Visit our prayer page for more guided prayers that we pray

Jesus sustains all creation by the mighty power of his command. Obviously, or Satan would have torn all creation to pieces long ago. Jesus—through whom all things were made—is currently, at this moment, holding all things together; he sustains all creation. The love, forbearance, and patience of this is breathtaking—the tenderness and care, not to mention the mighty power of it!The Gospel is good news because the healing of our fragmented souls is available in Christ anywhere, anytime, to anyone in the world. “Through him all things were made and without him nothing was made that has been made.”Including you. Jesus Christ was intimately involved in your creation. He knows everything about you. That is why he can be so essential in our healing. He is the Integrating Center of all things, including your very being. As the fourth-century mystic Athanasius wrote in his beautiful essay On the Incarnation,The renewal of creation has been wrought by the self-same Word Who made it in the beginning.The Word of God came in His own Person, because it was he alone, the Image of the Father, Who could recreate man after the Image.Salvation is re-creation. Such hope is contained in this simple idea. As the twentieth-century mystic Leanne Payne repeated over and over again, “The soul is healed through union with Christ.”The mystic says, This is the answer to everything! O Jesus—re-create all things in me.Want More? Order your copy of Experience Jesus. Really. today

We are seeking refuge as ordinary mystics growing into mature mystics who recognize that the refuge of God is dynamic and requires our participation—as when we consecrate our lives to God daily, when we stay in the truth, or when we crush the scorpions trying to harm us.The refuge is always available; the refuge is something to be seized.I’ve made intentional references to trauma throughout the preceding chapters because I do believe that humanity’s deepest need is to find how union with God can address even our trauma.Faith has always been a fragile thing in the human heart. Precious, lifesaving, but fragile in the way a coral reef is fragile, or a newborn fawn in the woods. It is something to be protected.I would say the same of your humanity—your humanity is a fragile thing also, and when that coral reef is bombarded with chemicals, or when that fawn must constantly run from forest fires, the effects are traumatizing. As a metaphor, this is our daily experience on the planet. If we are truly to find the full refuge of God and his Kingdom, we must find healing for the vulnerable and traumatized places within us.Now don’t get anxious; Jesus has you. The Gospel is truly gospel, for the soul is healed through union with Christ, and that is available to every person, anytime, anywhere.Want More? Order your copy of Experience Jesus. Really. today