Category: Daily Choices
While in college years ago, I joined several of my classmates in Washington D.C. to lobby U.S congress in support of a bill that was to provide funds for famine-wracked nations in Africa. We had been challenged by a speaker in our college chapel… Continue Reading “Choosing to Let Myself Go Hungry”
Category: Daily ChoicesTags: Discipleship, Discipline, Faith, Focus, Food from Heaven, God, Heavenly Bread, Holy Spirit, Hope, Humbled, Humility, Hunger, Hunger and Thirst, Jesus, Joy, Junk Food, love, Manna, Most Important, Passionate, Peace, Pride, Provision, Refocus, Salvation, Self Discipline, Spiritual Hunger, Spiritual Junk Food, Submission, Surrender, Word of God
“Experience is the best teacher.” I have heard this statement in multiple forms over the years and can attest to the truth it contains. There are some life lessons it seems cannot be taught from a book or a lecture. How does a person… Continue Reading “Choosing to Learn from Others”
Category: Daily ChoicesTags: Advice, Arrogance, Arrogant, Authority, Become wise, Biographies, Counsel, Discernment, Education, Experience, Faith, Fear of the Lord, God, Heavenly Father, Hope, Humility, In-grown, Isolation, Jesus Christ, Learn, Learning, Listen, Listening, love, Pride, Proudful, Reflect, Reflection, Salvation, Stories, Talk less, Wisdom, Wise, Wise Counsel
Tension between siblings has been around for a long time. Movies love this theme: Mufasa versus Scar in The Lion King; Thor versus Loki in the Marvel Universe; Michael versus Fredo in The Godfather Part 2; Tommy versus Brendan in Warrior. Legends say that… Continue Reading “Choosing to be a Good Big Brother”
Category: Daily ChoicesTags: Accusations, Accusing, Annoying, Arrogance, Brothers, Buddies, David and Goliath, Envious, Envy, Faith, Family Fights, Family Issues, God, Hope, Humility, Immature, Insecure, Jesus Christ, judging, love, Older Siblings, Pride, Salvation, Sibling Rivalry, Siblings, Undeserving, Younger Siblings
I remember the first time I stole something. I was six or seven years old, and I walked out of a store with a candy bar in my pocket. When I didn’t get caught and nothing bad happened, I was surprised. As a child… Continue Reading “Choosing to See My Separation from God”
Category: Daily ChoicesTags: Broken, Brokenness, Confess sin, Confession, Deadly Sin, Death, Faith, God, Guilty, Heal my soul, Healing, Hope, Jesus Christ, Jesus Follower, Law Breaker, Lawless, Lawlessness, love, Rebel, Rebellion, Relationship, Repent, Repentance, Restored Relationship, Salvation, Saved, Separated, Separation from God, Sickness, Sickness of Soul, sin, Sinful, Union with God
Though I could be quiet and reserved as a child, I had a belligerent side as well. I got into quite a few fights—the kind that included punching, slapping, kicking and bloody noses. Before you form a mental picture of me as a delinquent… Continue Reading “Choosing to Be Combative”
Category: Daily ChoicesTags: Be a Fighter, Darkness, Discipleship, Don't Give Up, Evil, Faith, Fight, Fight with the devil, God, Goodness of God, Hope, Jesus Christ, love, Love One Another, My Calling, Resist, Resist the devil, Resitance, Salvation, Satan, Spiritual Battle, Spiritual Darkness, Spiritual Evil, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation, Tempted, Truth
Voices. They ring in my ears and shout in my mind. I don’t seem to be able to rid myself of their pressure. They want to be my guide, to instruct me in what I ought to do. They cajole, threaten, rationalize, alarm, accuse… Continue Reading “Choosing to Please God First”
Category: Daily ChoicesTags: Afraid, Approval, Biblical truth, Conform, Cultural Pressure, Disapproval, Faith, fear, Fear God, Fear of Man, Fear of the Lord, Final Say, God Fearing, guilt, Honor God, Hope, Jesus Christ, judging, love, Mock, No Compromise, Opinions, Peer Pressure, People Pleaser, Pressure, Pride, Ridicule, Salvation, Scary, shame, Snares, Traps, Trust God, Voices
I first wrote the words “I love you” in a note to a girl when I was in the 5th grade. It felt good. And the feeling was even better when I received a note back with the same words. A core belief took shape… Continue Reading “Choosing to Love So It Hurts”
Category: Daily ChoicesTags: Faith, Faithful, For God so Loved, Give, giving, God, God Image, Hope, I Love You, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John 3:16, love, Love Hurts, Love is not a feeling, Love Sick, Love till it Hurts, Redeemed, Redemption, Salvation, Separated from God, Suffer, Suffering, The Cross, To Love is to Give, True Happiness, Truth
I recently traveled to Central Asia where a small group of us visited rural villages in a remote mountain range. Our purpose was simply to pray. Believing in the power of intercession, we asked God to bless these communities that, as far as we… Continue Reading “Choosing Adventure”
Category: Daily ChoicesTags: Adventure, Afraid, Angst, Anxiety, Anxious, Beauty, Control, Don't Worry, dopamine, Endurance, Faith, fear, freedom, Giving up control, God, God is Good, Goodness, Hope, Jesus Christ, love, Mental Health, Neurotransmitters, Release, Risk, Salvation, Stress, Stressful, Taking a risk, Trust, Trust Jesus, Wonder, Worry
I was encouraged as a child to memorize the Ten Commandments. The meaning of the rules seemed clear to me except the last one. “Thou shalt not covet.” Around that same age, I heard the word “covenant” used in a Sunday-morning sermon. Jesus had come to… Continue Reading “Choosing REAL Satisfaction”
Category: Daily ChoicesTags: Boundaries, Can't get satisfaction, Complete, covet, Covetousness, Crave, Craving, Deepest Desires, Delighted, Desire, desires, Dissatisfaction, Dissatisfied, Feeling Empty, Fulfilled, Fulfillment, Grasping, Hungry, I want, I want more, Idolatry, Idols, Incomplete, Limits, Longing, Lusting, More than this, No Satisfaction, Not satisfied, Restless, Restrictions, Rules, Satisfaction, Satisfied, True Happiness, Unhappy, Wanting, Yearn, Yearning
I had a short stint running track when I was in middle school. It was enjoyable until the coach put me in an 800-meter race that I had not prepared for. As a sprinter, I applied what I knew and started out strong. But… Continue Reading “Choosing to Keep the End in Mind”
Category: Daily ChoicesTags: Admit mistakes, Bad ending, Consider the Cost, Faith, Finish Strong, Finishing Well, Goals, God, gratitude, Holy Spirit, Hope, Humility, It's not over, Jesus Christ, Keeping the End in Mind, Life, love, No slacking, Persevere, Plan Ahead, Poor finishes, Pride, Priorities, Right Priorities, Salvation, Thanksgiving, The End
Choose This Day 