Happiness has been the subject of much scrutiny and debate for centuries. It seems like everyone under the sun has tackled this subject with little or no progress in curing this perennial malady of the human condition. Either it has gone from one extreme to another or the Voice in the balance has been drowned out by the noise of the former. However, it can be found, I tell you, it can! Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: Christian, Christianity, Ecclesiastes, Ecclesiastes 2:4-9, experiencing God, finding happiness, God, God living, happiness, hearing God, intimacy with God, Jesus Christ, Knowing God, life of God, Matthew 5:17, personal relationship with God, pursuit of happiness, relationship with God, seeking God, Solomon, stoicism, walk with God, walking with God
There is an esoteric line in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet that has always stuck out to me. It is where Lady Montague asks her nephew Benvolio if he has seen the missing Romeo. He responds,
“A troubled mind drave me to walk abroad;
where, underneath the grove of sycamore
that westward rooteth from the city’s side,
so early walking did I see your son…” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: ani l'dodi v'dodi li, dampness of the night, experiencing God, God, hearing God, I have taken off my robe— must I put it on again?, I slept but my heart was awake, intimacy with God, Knowing God, lover, lovesick, lovesickness, relationship with God, Romans 2:4, Romeo and Juliet, Song of Solomon, Song of Solomon 5, Song of Songs, Song of Songs 5, Song of Songs 5:2-6, sycamore, walk with God, walking with God
In the heart wrenching biography, Schulz and Peanuts, David Michaelis offers fans of the beloved comic strip a rare look into the life of the deeply wounded and troubled man, Charles Schulz. He recounts on one occasion when his wife Joyce, upon noticing his unhappiness, suggested that he see a psychiatrist to which he responded, “No, I don’t want to go to a psychiatrist because it will take away my talent.” (p.385) I do not think that anyone would have wanted to take away his talent for drawing cartoons, just the hurting that served as the impetus for the Peanuts. Much of his strips centered on loneliness, depression, sadness, anxiety, worry and a whole host of other maladies. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Charles Schulz, Christian, Christian living, Christianity, church, experiencing God, forgiveness, God, healing, heart, intimacy with God, Jesus Christ, Knowing God, Peanuts, personal relationship with God, relationship with God, Romans 8:7, shame, walk with God, walking with God, will of God, wounds, wounds of the heart
One story that has absolutely captured my fascination over the years as it pertains to a knowing relationship with God is in Matthew 12:1-8: “At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, ‘Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.’ He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 1 Chronicles 21:13, Christian living, experiencing God, find God, hearing God, Hosea 6:6, how to develop a relationship, intimacy with God, King David, Knowing God, knowing God personally, love of God, man after God's own heart, Matthew 12:1-8, personal relationship with God, pharisees, relationship with God, spiritual help, temple, walk with God, walking with God, will of God
In a world where so much advice is given on how to develop an intimate relationship , I thought I would explore this avenue by way of a via negativa of sorts. Instead of shedding a little bit of light on the subject, I thought I would shed a little darkness. After all, isn’t it important to make use of the light when we can first acknowledge that we are actually in the darkness? The following treatise should then be sufficient provision in order to destroy a cherished relationship based upon centuries of these finely tuned inadequacies: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Christian discipleship, Christian living, experiencing God, God help, God knowing, hearing God, hearing the voice of God, how to develop a relationship, intimacy with God, know God, Knowing God, love letters, love of God, personal relationship with God, relationship with God, seeking God, spiritual growth, walk with God, walking with God, what is the purpose of life
So often in life we search for programs such as instant weight loss, get-rich-quick schemes or any other formula that promises instant success while throwing hard work and discipline out the window. If you have come seeking a formula that does not involve a desire for the heart to change then I can tell you that it will not work. It is fascinating to see the programs that have been implemented for changing the nature of homosexuals. I have read reports by individuals who brought their jaded expectations to find their cure while counselors swing to unbiblical and unsatisfactory extremes in diagnosing their problems. Always remember when dealing with lust, if your desire is change, there is always hope. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 2 Samuel 11:1, 2 Samuel 11:11, C.S. Lewis, Christ, concupiscence, conquering sin, David, Exodus 20:12, Exodus 20:3, Exodus 20:5, Gadarene demoniac, God, gratitude, Hebrews 10:25, how to overcome lust, intimacy with God, love of God, Luke 5:16, lust, pain, Pavlov's dog, pornography, psychology, reasons for lust, relationship with God, Romans 8, Romans 8:35-39, seven deadly sins, sins of the fathers, spiritual growth, spiritual help, struggling with lust, Uriah
Lust. The perennial problem for believers worldwide. It is an equal opportunity vice that is unwilling that anybody should be without its torturous devices. It is inescapable and unpredictable. At least that is what we think. Although the temptations involved present themselves as powerful, do not believe that it is impossible to conquer. The aftermath of lust is heavily condemning and shaming and for this reason, many assume this as the greatest of sins. This is not true. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: addiction, alcoholics anonymous, Augustine, concupiscence, disordered love, emptiness, escape, failure, how to overcome lust, intimacy with God, John 4, loser, lust, misfit, mortal sin, pharmakeia, pornography, Proverbs 6, Proverbs 6:25-26, rejection, relationship with God, self-gratification, seven deadly sins, sin, spiritual growth, spiritual healing, spiritual help, struggling with lust, stuggling with sin, venial sin, vice
I once was part of a church that taught that the sinful nature could be totally eradicated; that is, gone, wiped out completely. I find this strangely amusing in light of the fact that pastors often chuckle behind closed doors on the difficulty of their congregations. The jokes tell us something different. In fact, pastors in most denominations lament over the high stress nature of their jobs in which they must satisfy everyone, not to mention the damage that is done to their own wives and children. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Abraham, Christian living, condemnation, condemno, David, Death Angel, find God, freedom, God knowing, hearing God, hearing the voice of God, high places, intimacy with God, Jacob, Jesus Christ, Josiah, know God, Knowing God, Laban, Leah, love of God, pain, passover, personal relationship with God, Rachel, relationship with God, Roman Catholic Church, Romans 2:4, Romans 6, Romans 7, sanctification, Solomon, theology, walk with God, walking with God, where is God, will of God