Scripture-centered reflections to help you quiet your mind, encounter the presence of Jesus, and live with greater peace, hope, and faith.
I fondly remember entering the sanctuary of my hometown Methodist Church as a little boy and being told to be silent and respectful as I prepared for worship. The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him. Habakkuk 2:20 I admit the silence was annoying for me, but in my…
A Sioux Native American saying: The longest journey you will make in your life is from your head to your heart. It is especially true in transferring the knowledge about God in your head and being able to experience the excitement of loving God in your heart. I am on the same journey, for I understand…
We are all broken, and that’s all right. The message of a dying Messiah on a cross communicates suffering, and brokenness is an intrinsic component of life. Yet, in the ache of our broken hearts and the company of unrelenting grief, we may also experience that life is full of expectation and joy. When our hearts…
Wayne Muller headlines a chapter in his book “Sabbath” with the title “Fear of Rest” and opens it with this humorous but poignant tale. Rabbi Levi saw a man running in the street and asked him, “Why do you run?” He replied, ” I am running after my good fortune!” So Rabbi Levi tells him,…
In eastern tradition, the term “monkey mind” is well known and understood by those who meditate within those cultures. Our western world, which influences Christian thought, is unfamiliar with the Buddhist concept. However, if you ask a western Christian to define “monkey mind,” they would have a reasonable probability of guessing its meaning. Just as…
Where your treasure is, there your heart will also be. Jesus Discover your soul and heart’s desire. Sometimes a good life keeps us from a better life, many of the things we crave in life will never satisfy our soul. In fact, many good things have the power to destroy us like pain medications and…
Henri Nouwen wrote prayer has for too long only been associated with piety, talking to God, thinking about God, morning and evening prayers, Sunday services, grace before meals, sentences from the Bible, and many other things. However, for Nouwen, “Prayer is the center of the Christian life. It is the only necessary thing. It is…
We devote enormous amounts of energy and time to creating noise and distraction in our heads to numb the troubling thoughts and voices that rob us of our peace of mind. But, unfortunately, the fear of silence is killing us. Some storylines repeatedly repeat, causing so much mental anguish we will do anything to get…
The children of Israel in their history escaped the clutches of Pharaoh by the parting of the Red Sea, and it had little impact on their spiritual growth. It is a story told for thousands of years of Yahweh’s miraculously dividing of the sea where men, women, and children in bondage for four hundred years…
One of the best gifts you can give yourself is learning to be alone but not be lonely. I have experienced loneliness plenty of times in my life, but I have never felt alone in silence and solitude with God. It runs counterclockwise to the world’s wisdom that the practice of solitude and silence can…
It is a typical experience to lose your peace when you encounter the threatening storms and troubles of life. Don’t let the devastating circumstances and the consequences that swamp you cause you to doubt my promises. (The Peace and Presence of Christ in our Heart) Like the seasick sailor struggling on deck when being tossed…
Much of life is obsessed with an unbelievable adventure of discovering what will bring you happiness. You unwittingly seek fulfillment and meaning through every activity you undertake. Life is a maze of challenges with jobs to accomplish, tasks to perform, and experiences to live. In this process, your mind transcends everything, and you have a…