For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, …
Loving the unpredictable God (part 2)
Trusting the "Sometimes" God (Before you freak out, please be assured that I’m not implying that God is “sometimes God,” and then sometimes he’s not! I mean something else, which you’ll have to read further to find out.) The season of anguish to which I refer in Part One, left me, albeit temporarily, jaded in …
Loving an Unpredictable God (Part 1)
Over Chinese food my friend Joe asked me if my faith in God was in tact. I was getting divorced, broke my neck, and was just diagnosed with cancer. He was concerned for me and wanted to know how to best be a support to me in my dark night of the soul. I’d loved …
The Sermon in the Storm
The first three gospels record the story about how Jesus fell asleep in the storm-tossed boat while the disciples feared for their lives. “Don’t you care if we die?! Do something!” It occurred to me that after he quelled the squall in the sea, he turned to address the storm in the boat… “You of …
Avoiding the “Mediocre Middle” (Part 3)
In Parts 1 & 2 I’ve been talking about the “suffer-well” versus the “get-well” options for the Jesus follower who is going through difficult times. The conundrum is – am I supposed to endure this pain or escape it? It’s near blasphemy to some people to think that God would purposely leave any of his …
barney wiget 