Good evening, friend. As we enter Holy Week, I pray your soul is well, that you are learning to live in shalom, regardless of your circumstances, and that you are soaking in the teaching of Rabbi Paul who models for us what it means to live in hopeful joy even when—ESPECIALLY when—life circumstances are hard. […]
Sleep on This: April 3 – the Name above all names
Good evening friend. There are parts of this COVID-19 journey that are a pain, of course. But there are many aspects of this rhythm that have become sweet to me. Among them is this: my father calls me nearly every day to check on me. One might argue that it ought to be the other […]
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Sleep on This – April 2: Exalt Jesus
Good Evening Friend! How is your soul this night? I pray that these bedtime chats will be helpful in realigning your thoughts and prayers before you enter into that great gift which is good sleep. I’ve said repeatedly that Philippians 2 is holy ground. In the opening verses, Paul admonishes his readers to: live humbly; […]
Sleep on This: Life together (April 1)
From 1935-1937, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was hung by the Nazis in the closing days of World War II, served as the leader of an underground seminary called Finkenwalde. There, young pastors were prepared to serve the Confessing Church, the German Christians who ultimately stood in opposition to Hitler and his state-sanctioned church. During that time […]
Sleep on This: Having the Mind of Christ (March 31)
Good evening dear friend. Crises such as that which we are facing bring out the best and the worst in people, including Christians. As I mentioned two nights ago, when we turn to Philippians 2, we are standing on scriptural holy ground, both for what it teaches us about ourselves AND about Jesus. For that […]
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Sleep on This – March 30: walking in the harbor
Good evening friend! I ask it frequently, but how is your soul? Truly? Are you at peace? Are you finding yourself adapting to this new normal? I pray so—and I pray these little evening conversations are a help. I feel so much better, physically! I fought a bronchitis-cough for three weeks but have finally begun […]
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Defiant hope
A week ago last Wednesday as Cyndi and I were on an airplane flying to North Carolina to visit our daughter, the governor of our state of Washington was announcing the first of the restrictions intended to blunt the impact of COVID-19 upon the residents of our state. By the time we had landed in […]
Sleep on This: March 20
Good evening friend: “Selfish ambition.” That’s the phrase Paul uses in Philippians 1:17 to describe his “competitors.” Preachers who were using the opportunity of Paul’s imprisonment to advance their own reputation. With Paul on ice, these jealous rivals snatched the opportunity to steal some of his followers and impugn his reputation. It is really quite […]
Sleep on This: March 19
Good evening, friend: How is your faith this night? How confident are you that God is in control and at work? Yesterday morning, I watched the sun rise in a cloudless sky. This morning the fog obscured all but the next row of houses. Am I any less sure that the sun is out there, […]
Sleep on This: March 18
Good evening, friend. How is your soul? I know this has been a day of continued unrest, but regardless of what you are hearing on the news or social media, God is still on the throne! Jesus is still Lord. The Spirit of the risen Christ is living within you and nothing, nothing, nothing can […]