In Proverbs 19:23 we read “The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.” When you hear the word “fear,” what comes to your mind? Spiders? Snakes? Heights? Speaking in public? For me, I’m deathly afraid of snakes. Deathly. Afraid. Like, paralysis! And…
Colossians 3:5 says, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you.” But how, Nate? How do I moment by moment “put to death sin”? First, we need to define/describe what putting sin to death actually means. Putting sin to death means to weaken, starve, eradicate, eliminate, kill or destroy sinful desires, words, thoughts, or…
Rest is a discipline I still need to learn. My sabbatical reminded me that stepping away from ministry responsibilities is not the same as truly resting. I often know how to stay busy, productive, and engaged, but I am still learning how to receive rest as a gift from God rather than feeling the need to justify…
Cal Newport has become a household name with regard to work, the digital space, and productivity. His book, Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout, was a timely read for me. I presume you’re probably like me: you need to grow in your commitment and rhythm of not idolizing work (i.e., finding your…
In Drew Dyck’s book, Just Show Up: How Small Acts of Faithfulness Change Everything (A Guide for Exhausted Christians), he writes that isolation is a liar. So true! We read in Proverbs that you can’t make good, godly, and sound decisions about life when you isolate yourself (see Proverbs 18:1). As relational and communal beings,…
Each and every day you and I interact with people who exude wisdom and foolishness, which includes you and me. With that dissonance (not living out what we confess to believe) we are reminded of our daily need of Jesus’ rescuing and empowering grace seen in the Spirit to help us not gratify the works…
Find this episode from Graceland Church here.
Two principles from Proverbs 16 that will help you/I use social media in a godly manner (and really all areas of life): First, a wise person seeks to be discerning (what to say, how to say it, when to say it, the why of saying it). And wisdom, according to the Bible is pure, peaceable,…
Photo by Amber Weir on Unsplash . Attentive to the passing conversation and perhaps hearing the miraculous accounts of this man named Jesus, he unashamedly yells out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Would that not be your posture if you knew there was a man coming who could heal you of your…
And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer” (Mark 9:29). I’ve heard prayer defined and described in many ways. Here are several: A dinner conversation with a good friend. A commitment of reliance and a cry for help. Fellowship with our Creator. Listening and responding to God. Adoring, confessing,…
