The Tug-of-War Inside All of Us
There is an inner tug-of-war in all of us, a tension that drives so much of our outer life. Here it is: We long to be known, and at the same time we’re terrified of it. So many of our patterns of relating and our failures to love can be traced to this tug-of-war. Which side […]
The Place We All Need
Recently I took a backpacking trip in the Big Frog Wilderness with my good friend Brian. In all designated wilderness areas, there are no trail blazes (easy to get lost), no bridges across streams (learn to ford them or turn around), and remote enough so that there are no crowds (to preserve the silence, so […]
Lessons From The Wilderness
I have been backpacking in several different wilderness areas and have learned much from the experience. But here I am speaking about a different kind of wilderness. I believe as we follow Jesus, He will at some point take us into the wilderness, not a physical one, so much as a circumstantial one. It could […]
Whatever You Do, Stay Under the Waterfall
When I was in my mid 20’s, I took a group of junior high students on a backpacking trip one summer on the Cumberland Plateau. It was unbearably hot and dry. There was even one moment when dehydration and heat exhaustion became a valid concern. But what I remember most from the trip is what happened when […]
Is It Really Worth It To Go To Church?
It was one of those Sunday mornings. After walking with Heidi and eating breakfast, we got in the car to drive to church. Fatigue suddenly hit me from the emotional and physical drain of the week. I could feel mounting resistance at the thought of sitting through church, trying to stay awake and engaged. Was […]
"I still haven't found what I'm looking for."
No, I’m not talking about my wallet, although it certainly could be the case! This tag line from an old U2 song has become a chorus that continues to haunt me. What do I mean? It seems as if all of my life I have been looking for something and not finding it. Coming to Christ as […]
“I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.”
No, I’m not talking about my wallet, although it certainly could be the case! This tag line from an old U2 song has become a chorus that continues to haunt me. What do I mean? It seems as if all of my life I have been looking for something and not finding it. Coming to Christ as […]
The Freedom of Pain
I don’t enjoy pain. No one should, and if they do, there may be mental illness lurking. So what could possibly be freeing about pain? I got my answer last week. Back in May, I strained my left quad muscle doing a bike workout without sufficient warmup. But instead of being out for a bit as I thought, […]
The Irony of Father’s Day
Sunday was Father’s Day, a time set aside to remember and celebrate all the good we see in fathers. There is something right and wholesome about this, yet I am jolted by a heartbreaking irony. So many men I work with have been poorly fathered, and so many dads I know feel they are poor fathers. […]
God Writes Straight With Crooked Lines
I read something years ago from C. S. Lewis that has stuck with me: God writes straight with crooked lines. It was his literary way of saying that God brings good out of evil. In the abstract I have long since accepted this deeply Biblical idea (see Gen. 50:20). But it’s quite another thing to live it out. […]