Active Faith

You Are Beautiful

You can clearly see the beauty of your Lord, though you have never seen Him. You see Him as wonderfully beautiful because you know something of the depth of beauty. Beauty, to you, is easily discernable without sight. You know beauty apart from visibility. You can measure your own beauty apart from a mirror; you are the mirror. In Christ, you know truths many others may never know. You know of the deep reality of a deeper beauty. Before the throne, there is a sea of glass, clear as crystal. This sea acts as a mirror reflecting the beauty that […]

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Be Strong. Work. Do Not Fear.

The prophet Haggai came during a time when God’s people were on their way to becoming secular occupants of a destitute and forgotten land. They had experienced hostility from virtually every neighboring tribe. They were tired, worn out and had forgotten Whose they were and to Whom they belonged.  However, God sent Haggai to remind God’s people to get on with the work of rebuilding his temple. Through his words, Haggai reminded them that they were the right people, called to the right place to do the right work of building for the Lord. His words couldn’t have been clearer: […]

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The Sweet Satisfaction of Hard Work

“From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him” (Proverbs 12:14 ESV). Saturday night, just before sundown, Shannan and I arrived back to our place in Arkansas. For my part it was with a skip in my step, a sigh of relief and gratitude in my heart to God. We had just traveled 2956 miles across Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio, and then trekked back to the Natural State, completing the entire jaunt in our 1936 Chevrolet (aka The Octogenarian). If you wonder […]

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Abiding Joy

In Christ, you have access to a priceless, almost-hidden treasure. You can pursue, possess and be possessed by a God-ordained joy. Some pursue a fleeting and certainly temporary happiness, but not you. You can be apprehended by a lasting, sustaining joy, emanating from the One who purchased it for you. In a friendship with Christ, He excitedly gives you access to His joy, laughter and contentment. You were created to enjoy Him no matter what. You can chuckle, belly laugh, or sit as still as you can in silence and enjoy His joy.   Regardless of circumstance  The feelings of […]

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Dawn and Dusk

I was recently sitting with Lisa watching the sunset. I reflected on the experience of dusk, that in between time before darkness and after light. I noticed that everything was ideal. I thought about what life would be like if we lived in permanent dusk. I couldn’t help but also think about how dusk emulates dawn, again that in between time, but in that case the time after darkness and before light. What I thought was interesting about these two in between times was how little effort life required. The color was about perfect – enough light to recognize objects, […]

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A Mission for Youth

I remember exactly where I was sitting at the back of that crowded gymnasium. Surrounded by hundreds of other teenagers, I awaited the final session of a week-long church summer camp. As a 14 year old who grew up in church, I knew how these things worked. The final session would be filled with moving worship, a passionate altar call and many tears. I was at an interesting point in my life. Most of my Christian experience up to that point could be summed up in three words: “going through motions.” I knew a lot about Jesus, but I didn’t […]

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God Lead Us Down Your Path

God Leads us in everything we do. In our current cultural moment, one which is steeped in deep skepticism, absolute truth is separated from matters of religion and spirituality as far as the east is from the west. A typical postmodern response to the statement that absolute truth exists would sound like, “That may be absolutely true for you, but absolutely not true for me.” This view is as deluded as it is dangerous in matters of reality, blurring the lines between preference, opinion and truth. To be sure, the promise in the era of modernism that human reason was […]

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Making History

The book of Acts tells a story about a group of people who changed the world. These ordinary people sparked an extraordinary movement known as the Church. Driven by a unified vision, they discipled and deployed every Christ-follower to be an agent of grace — to spread faith, hope and love everywhere they went. Every Christian, no matter who they are or what they do for a living is indeed God’s “Plan A” to bring renewal and restoration to the spiritual lostness, social pain and cultural brokenness we see all around us. Today, we believe the Church — God’s people […]

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Drip… Drip… Drip…

Summer, my favorite time of year because our pace changes, actually slows down. I see things from another perspective. I savor God’s provision and blessings. I also rest and become refreshed. I also am reminded during the hot South Florida summers of just how important water is. Water is essential to life. One does not have to go too long to realize just how essential water is. Sometimes we need water without even being thirsty.  The lack of water will often lead to a slow death, often without even realizing it.  The poet, king, warrior, David, acknowledged that a tree planted […]

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Need Some Good News?

Since this publication is meant to be all about “good news,” I thought that I would share some timeless truths regarding good news with you today. Good News: God’s interest in you will always exceed your interest in Him. Even if your interest wanes, His attentiveness to you remains constant. God doesn’t just love you. If “just loving you” was His nature, then His love could wane as you become more unlovable. God is love. There is nothing you can do to cause Him to love you more, and there is nothing that you can refrain from doing that would […]

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