The Beauty of Restoration

My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.)—Colossians 4:10 (NIV)

In Acts 13, we meet John Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, Paul’s friend and partner in spreading the gospel. But our first impression of Mark isn’t a good one.

From Paphos, Paul and (more…)

When FOMO Matters

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him . . . ”—1 Corinthians 2:9

For a while, I kept hearing about FOMO, fear of missing out. (For the record, I was definitely missing out when it came to the meanings of our (more…)

A Bad Day Becomes a Good Day

But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.—Isaiah 53:5

The day we call Good Friday was not a good day for Jesus. Just one week earlier, He had made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem as the crowds cheered, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes (more…)

God Is Love

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.—1 John 4:7-8

One of the things I appreciate about my friend Bob Goff—whom I call my friend because I’m among the thousands of readers to whom he (more…)

A Clean Slate

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.—Philippians 3:13-14

For most of us, 2019 was a mixed bag of grief and joy—more grief than joy for some, and more joy than grief for others. For (more…)