When we open up our Bibles, the Spirit of God extends an invitation for us to commune with Him. If we believe that this Word is living and active, then we should enter into it expecting for God himself to be present! So what can we do to help make our “quiet time” a little less quiet and more interactive?

The Spiritual Disciplines dutifully practiced cannot produce fruit, or salvation, or love. No matter how dutifully we practice. But, it is not that we need less than that duty, we in fact need more.

In the church, we step into relationship with a family of brothers and sisters who have also been adopted by God. We make a covenant with God to love and follow Him, and we become a part of a covenant community with that as the central goal.

With my brain I confirm “My God is sovereign over time and all Creation!” and with my actions, I proclaim “How could you cross me? Don’t you know who I am and what I am doing?!” How I react to life’s inevitable interruptions exposes my doubt in God.

Yes, death is inevitable. But just as sure as it is inevitable, it stings. To love is to be vulnerable and to open your heart to the possibility of being wrung.

It might surprise you to hear me saying, “Work is a blessing.” But, I can say that for at least two reasons: 1. Our work done well can be a blessing to others 2. Our work can bless us.

I am challenging us, you and me and the church to seriously consider that Jesus had more in mind for us than a single event of faith and a life of waiting for heaven. He is calling us to be with him, become like him now, and do what he did and is doing.

Life is filled with numerous opportunities to talk with and interact with people. Unless you never leave your house, you are bound to interact with someone at some point almost daily. What if in these moments we began to see the people looking back at us? What if we got to know their story? Maybe share a meal or a cup of coffee.

What I have experienced in my roughly 44 weeks of camp is the beauty of the Gospel being able to penetrate the hearts and minds of teenagers when they can get away from all of life’s distractions, even if it is just for a little bit.

When life feels overwhelming, I find myself crying out for wisdom. What should I do, Lord? God is kind and does promise to give us wisdom, but it begins in a surprising place.

This is, I believe, at least part of why James exhorts us to count trials as joy. Trials, and the testing of our faith, reveal our deficiencies—those places that demand healing and growth for the sake of the journey still ahead. Growth for the sake of spiritual maturity. Unto, as James says, “that you may be perfect.”

There is a dichotomy in life that is difficult to understand sometimes, a pendulum of emotions that can take us from joy to pain in a moment or even simultaneously. This paradox creates questions that often don't have answers and causes a whole range of emotions. That is why I love the Psalms so much. David asks the same questions I do.