It's 7:00 am on a Friday, and I roll out of bed cold, stiff, and reluctant to put on my running shoes. The windows are hazy from the leftover rain from last night's rainstorm. The sky is equally resistant to the day, refusing to let sunlight lift the quilted covers of cloudy sheets that bed the earth below. The humidity is visible, like fog hovering softly above a warm lake on a cool morning.

We have no more time allotted to us than humans did 50 years ago, and yet we have been given more access to one another than any other generation has ever experienced. You and I can be accessed through our social media inboxes, text messages, and calls any time of day or night…

… And then I heard the Lord quietly say to me: “Everything in this world is temporary. This is not your home. Why are you getting too comfortable where you are?” …

… The morning cup was an experience. You sipped it while viewing the sun rising above the trees and the rooftops. You took your time and savored it. The afternoon cup was rushed. It was a quick fix to your crashing energy and your negative mood…

We are Bible-believing, born-again Christians.

We take God seriously. We believe He is a “hands-on” God when it comes to what goes on here on earth. We believe we are part of His plan and pray for His will to be done and His kingdom to come.

We are, of course, in control of what we believe and therefore own the disposition we have constructed for ourselves.

…Some mornings an intruder arrives. It’s an unexpected thought. Today, it’s the word “consumption.” God, “What do you mean by consumption?”

“Consumption versus contribution.”

“What about it?” I ask without speaking, just thinking the question…

I had just dipped my hands into the hot, soapy water to get dishes checked off of the to-do list…and then I heard the most dreaded sound. In the other room was a toddler wailing. Not the “brother won't share his toy” kind of cry, but the “help me!” kind of cry…

The message appears at the bottom of the big screen. The first 30 minutes of Sunday morning worship are over, and the children are dismissed to the “Kids’ Church.” The older ones have kind of been watching for the message and start making their way down the aisle…

God has given me something to share with fathers. The something He has given me is to shout about the POWER of a father’s prayer for his family.

This thing started last Sunday morning…

… Reportedly, “the first person to enter the pool when the waters were stirred up would supposedly be cured of his or her ailment.” …

… At the front of unwanted heaps of overconsumption, there it was. A "good bones" antique chair just staring at me. The deep brown wood was engraved with a stunning pattern. The back of the chair was…

… Awake sleepers! Be aware of this snare of the enemy…

I love pie. I don't recall a time that I have ever turned down a piece of pie. I don't fully trust people who feel otherwise about it…

Imagine a measuring stick for life … God does not want you anywhere on that stick …

… The liar tells me to just live happily in the safety of that cerebral fortress of yours, where I can love the illusion of loving everyone at arm's length…

Every morning, I look out the window at the tall, old pine tree in my front yard. The sun’s warmest glow of the day reflects and refracts off the collected dew, causing jewel-like needles to dance in the breeze.

God likes to hear us tell Him how great He is. Why is that? Do we serve an attention-seeking, jealous God? The short answer is yes.

Even as a non-believer and new parent, I agreed with my wife that we should try to find a church. My logic was that my children would benefit from instruction in what is right and what is wrong…

… hadn’t been around much grief. And as a follower of Jesus, I’d spent plenty of time contending for healing, chasing joy, and building my faith, but hardly any time learning what the Bible says about sorrow, death, and loss. …