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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23a NIV) “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” (Hebrews 12:15) Fruit can be deceiving. Vegetables—not so much. I don’t…

Abide. What does that word mean to you? Merriam-Webster defines abide as: To accept or bear To stay or live somewhere To remain or continue Stay with me, because it was the synonyms and antonyms that caught my attention. Synonyms: stay, dwell, hang around, remain, stick around, tarry Antonyms: bail, bail out, bug out, buzz…

Whether we’re searching Pinterest for our Valentine ideas or doing a last minute swing by the local grocery store, Valentine’s Day is on the brain. Cards, candy, and flowers for the mental list of kids, moms, and special someones. But what’s God getting this year? Gary Chapman’s The Five Love Languages hit the press in…

When I make an introduction, I usually preface it with my relationship to each party. I know Lisa from dance and Anne from lacrosse. Jesus does the same thing. When the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray, He introduces the Twelve to the first person of the Trinity with the term “Father.” Jesus…

Silence. Crickets. Dead air. When it comes to prayer, have you ever prayed and then—nothing? I hate that. I dread the battle that’s coming between flesh and spirit. My spirit is willing, but my flesh is not. My flesh wants to: Run ahead of God. Take the bull by the horns. Say yes in spite…

Buy-in. When you have it, you can influence. Without it, you get pushback. As our kids grew older, reason became our tool to gain buy-in. Reason, we hoped, would aid compliance. Sometimes it did. Other times, not so much. (Did I mention our kids are really strong-willed?) As I grow older, I find the same thing.…

Laughter rings through the neighborhood. A ball flies as preschool hands try to master catching and throwing. The ball rolls into the street, and off they go after it. But they don’t see the car. And the car can’t see them. You command “Stop!” in your sharpest, most urgent parental voice, and the small sneakers…

Are you looking for this new year to be better than the last one? Less may be more. “He [Jesus] must become greater; I [John the Baptist] must become less.” (John 3:30 NIV) If you charted your life—finances, work, family, faith—what percentage of your life reflects the lordship of Jesus? Does He impact your finances,…

“While I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.” (Daniel 9:21 NIV) “The angel answered, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you [Zechariah]…

He felt the rumbling in the village long before he heard the news. Word traveled fast in a small town like Nazareth. Groups of women clucked together at the market or by the village well. God help their next victim. He would be pecked to pieces by morning. Joseph checked his tools and headed for…