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
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
When you woke up on Christmas morning as a child to find a gift that you had longed for intensely, were you more amazed at the sense of wonder of having received such a gift or the gratitude that preceded it? You probably never noticed the gratitude because of the overwhelming effects of the wonder. It is the gratitude that allowed the gushing torrent of flood-filled wonder to occupy such a large place in the heart that nothing could ever seem to penetrate it with the dreary darkness of banality, familiarity or what is common. Read the rest of this entry »
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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
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 »
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