10 Important Things You Need to be Humble
Has your number changed? On a scale of 1 to 10 – If 1 is proud (completely self-focused) and 10 is humble (completely God and others focused) where would you fall? Proud 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 …
Want to be Content and Satisfied? Stop Chasing “the Best”
Do you want to be content? Satisfied? Are you tired of chasing promises only to be left wanting? Everywhere you turn you hear: You deserve the best . . . you’re worth it! You deserve happiness and having the best will make you happy! Never settle for less than you deserve. Demand the best, accept…
You Need To Know the Whole Truth about Jesus
It’s hard for me to get my brain around the whole truth about Jesus. God. Creator. King. Alpha and Omega. Word Made Flesh. Savior. I AM. God Himself formed in a teenage girl. Born in poverty. Cradled with critters. Humble. What makes the maker of stars walk along dusty paths among broken people all the way…
How to Stop Comparing, Embrace Humility, and Love
Monday I asked you to rate yourself from 1 to 10 on the humility scale. Proud 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Humble I’ve spent hours since thinking about numbers and how we rate ourselves. The number on the scale. The…
What is Humility and Why You Need to Know
Let me begin by saying I’m a little nervous about this month’s topic. Why? Because every month of doing The Faith Project I’ve not only had opportunities to learn and grow, I’ve had plenty of occasions to practice . . . to live out the discussion. Let me explain… I once heard a pastor preach on…
How to Put More Life in Your Prayer Life
What exactly is a prayer-life anyway? Simply put – it is the private practice of prayer in your life. So, how’s your prayer life? Too often the answer is: I know I should pray more. I just don’t have enough time. I feel like my prayers stop at the ceiling. I don’t know what to…
10 Ways to Focus and Make Prayer More Meaningful
My brain functions like a pinball machine. For those of you who don’t remember, pinball machines are arcade games where a plunger is used to shoot a steel ball onto a slanted field filled with obstacles. The goal . . . keep the ball in play as long as possible. So, back to my brain….
A New Opportunity for Blessing Counters to Pray
Two girls. One is popular. The other peculiar. Forced together by circumstances and all they can see is “loathing.” But… When the comparisons stop. When they look below the surface into each other’s hearts. They become—friends. Good friends. Best friends! Doing life together until their story ends with the following song: For Good I’ve heard…
What to Do When You Need to Pray but…
For six weeks people’s eyes popped every time I walked into the room. Then they’d ask “When is your baby due?!!” When I told them I had a month to go, their pitiful expressions said . . . oh, you poor thing! Finally, my due date arrived and passed and still . . . no ….
What You Can Expect from The Faith Project and Prayer
Freedom Love Wisdom and now… Prayer. So much has been said and written about prayer. How to pray. When to pray. What to pray. Where to pray. Journals. War Rooms. Lists. Methods. I’ve read dozens of books on prayer. I’ve started countless journals. Set up my “War Room.” Written Bible verses. Taught Bible studies. Written…
5 Ways Wisdom Will Make You Happy
Everyone wants to be happy. Don’t they? I do. I’m guessing you do too. We may not all agree on how to get there, but the desire for happiness is natural and universal. And it’s that natural desire for happiness that made possible the birth of a lie. God wants you to be happy. It’s not that God…
20 Promises of Jesus that will Give You Hope
We need the promises of Jesus! Terrorism, politics, illness, heartbreak, loss… Sometimes this broken world feels too painful. Too hard. And I remember Solomon’s words: History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Ecclesiastes 1:9 Nothing new. No, I’m not trying to totally depress you this…
How to Manage Your Money with Godly Wisdom
My dad likes to tell the story of how he almost tried to talk me out of taking my first teaching position because the salary was so small. I had just graduated from college and received a call to teach at a small Christian school in St. Louis, where Rev would attend seminary. I wanted…
The Most Important Ways to Add Wisdom to Your Relationships
What in the world were you thinking? The relationship ended and you’re wondering . . . how could you have been so foolish? The signs were there all along, how could you have missed them? You and I were created for relationships with God and with other people. Maybe one of the reasons God gave us…
The Best Verses to Memorize for Growing Faith
I grew up memorizing Bible verses for school. One or two verses every week recited to the teacher or written on paper each Friday. But it’s been years since I’ve hidden any new verses in my heart, and I’m old enough that the King James Version was the translation I committed to memory. It’s time…
This is Important – Why Do You Believe what You Believe?
Earlier this week, I tweeted: Don’t be shy. God wants us to ask . . . often. http://snip.ly/7kwl8 8 Steps to an Action Plan for Growing in Wisdom #Faith And received the following reply: I’m curious how you discovered God wants us to ask things? Great question? Right? I answered by saying that Jesus told His…
5 Verses to Pray When You Need Wisdom
You’re tired. You’ve done it your way long enough. You’re ready for a change, but how? Jesus’ brother, James wrote: If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. James 1:5 If you need wisdom. Ask. That’s it? But you’re nervous….
12 Things You Need to Know about Godly Wisdom
Everyone wants to be happy. Some people think it’s what life is all about . . . being happy. But what if it takes wisdom to be truly happy? We spend our lives trying to find that person, place, or thing that will make us happy. Solomon had something to say about this: I observed…
What is So Important about Godly Wisdom?
If asked, how would you define wisdom? Wisdom: 1) The ability to think and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and insight. 2) The ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting. Based on those definitions, everyone, Jesus follower or not, would consider wisdom valuable for success, safety, and well-being. But this…
Happy Bonus Day! Celebrate Life with Big Love
I’m not normally a stubborn person. Really. I’m not. But when the nurse stuck her head in pre-op and told me it was time to leave I didn’t budge. Thankfully, the lovely woman shaving Rev’s chest agreed—her affirmation helped me stay by his side a little longer. A little later the kids told me a…
How to Love Every Day Without Giving Up or Giving In
You would think love would be an easy subject, wouldn’t you? We toss around the word all the time. I love this or that post. I love good coffee. I love Ted Drewes Custard (it’s a St. Louis thing). I love babies and puppies and quiet afternoons. And that’s just the top of the list…