Table-ology of breaking bread
A Scripture study from Caring, part three of seven. Read part two here. One of my favorite foods at a good Thanksgiving feast is a loaf of hot bread, fresh out of the oven. Taking a deep breath and inhaling the tantalizing
Table-ology of devotion
A Scripture study from Caring, part two of seven. Read part one here. Devotion: the act of dedicating something to a cause, enterprise or activity. Acts 2:42 tells us that the early believers “devoted themselves.” They devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, breaking of
Pursuing our doubts toward greater faith
An excerpt from “Wandering Toward God: Finding Faith amid Doubts and Big Questions.” There I was in a seminary class, of all places, having a crisis of faith. We were only a few weeks into the semester, but I was seriously
Faith cures a troubled heart
An excerpt from “You’re Gonna Make It: Unlocking Resilience When Life Is a Mess.” I was in college when my mom was sick with cancer. As the disease progressed, there were many nights when she would struggle to sleep, and most
Table-ology: Thanksgiving and transformation
A Scripture study from Caring, part one of seven. What if we celebrated Thanksgiving and every meal as the early Church of Acts did? They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple, followed by meals at home, every meal a
Shaping Sabbath
An excerpt from “Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest: From Sabbath to Sabbatical and Back Again.” I am a better person on the sabbath. I am not as stressed. I move slower, talk slower and listen better. I am kinder, more
Pray like a monk
An excerpt from “Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools: An Invitation to the Wonder and Mystery of Prayer.” The way to pray like Jesus taught us to pray includes this unavoidable invitation: learn to live like a monk in the ordinary
Moving from ‘complaining victim’ to walking in freedom
An excerpt from “Hold That Thought: Sorting Through the Voices in Our Heads.” Having lived in Southern California for over 35 years, I have grown accustomed to two types of weather: sunny and warm, and sunny and cold. We experience a
How I use Scripture daily to remind myself of the truth
Can I tell you a secret? A lot of the inspiration for my business came from complete and utter heartbreak. Have you been there? That deep, deep valley of pain that seems unending and earth-shattering. Seasons of heartbreak can affect
How to care for your mental health through centuries-old practice of breath prayer
An excerpt from “Breath as Prayer: Calm Your Anxiety, Focus Your Mind, and Renew Your Soul.” On a late February night last year, I found myself in a hospital room beside my daughter, who had been admitted for what would be
Practicing kindness and goodness instead of hostility
An excerpt from “Analog Christian: Cultivating Contentment, Resilience, and Wisdom in the Digital Age.” Recently our church was holding an outdoor event for families and kids. Dozens of young parents and little children were congregating on our campus, eating, playing, and
Do Good Family Roadmap: Be a supportive neighbor
As kids, our two favorite shows were “Sesame Street” and “Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.” Both shows invited us into different worlds and introduced us to people we had never seen before. Mister Rogers, especially, was intentional about inviting lots of different