Personal Worship (Page 14)

Hello Rio! When I was a kid, my dad was often amazed at how quickly his four sons destroyed new things. We routinely heard the line: “This is why we can’t have nice things.” One time, my brother Matt lost a new pair of shoes in the ditch behind our house after they were swallowed by the deep mud. For years to come, any question about the location of an object was met with…

Hello Rio! How would you respond if I told you that the scientific and academic communities had discovered that a simple habit could provide you with stunning physical and mental health benefits? No injections required. No prescriptions necessary. This simple practice has existed for thousands of years. In the last few decades, several major universities, government…

Hey, Church! This week I have been thinking a lot about gratitude. I need more of it in my life. Anxieties about the future? Yep, I’ve got plenty of those. Frustrations with present life circumstances? Check! A list of blessings a mile long? Well, I don’t think about that list quite as often. But the Spirit reminded me this week that that list is immeasurably longer and,…

Hey, Church! We will have the privilege and joy of sharing a communion meal this Sunday! To prepare our hearts and minds to receive the bread and wine (or, cracker and juice) with sincerity and faith, I thought it would be appropriate to focus this weekend’s meditation on the significance of that sacrament. To do that, I want to diverge from my usual talking points on the…

Hey, Church! We have a new song to sing this Sunday called “Here Again.” Its lyrics prompt us to look back and remember God’s long, steady faithfulness to us; to look forward and trust that He will be faithful then just as well. And in light of the past and future–”here in the middle”–we want to call on Him to make His glory appear in our present weakness: “I’m not enough…