I burned my old journal pages. Ripped them clean out of the carefully selected, beautifully bound book, tossed them into the fire, and watched them melt to ash. Their reminders of defeat would mock me no more. Too many entries revealed failure after failure to sustain lasting transformation. Exposed inabilities to reach the ideals in…

What if the gospel isn’t what you’ve always thought it was? What if it’s better than you’ve ever imagined? In my last post, I suggested that most Christians believe the message of the Gospel is essentially about how we deal with sin.  That salvation is about Jesus’ death on a cross for our forgiveness, and…

Most Christians describe the Gospel as Jesus’ death for our sins and that our belief in Him secures our entrance into heaven after we die.

No one gets through life without eventually encountering unexpected detours, delays, and dead ends. When our agenda gets hijacked and we feel backed into a corner, we often believe we must have missed God somewhere along the way. That we did something wrong. That we’re not where we’re supposed to be. In those moments, we…

You may find this hard to believe, but once upon a time, there was no Google Maps. Shocking, I know. To navigate unknown territory, our options were either a fold-out printed map or verbal directions from a “local yokel”.  Which could be tricky, at best. “Drive a few miles past that curve in the road…

How would Jesus describe you as a traveling companion? In my previous blog post, I described our life with God as a pilgrimage; a long journey on a path with Him in a world where we don’t belong, heading to a home we have never known. Are you an enjoyable traveling partner? My first trip…

What do you believe needs to change about yourself or your circumstances in order for your relationship with God to be better, stronger, or healthier? It’s so easy to think we need something about ourselves to be different in order for our relationship with God to be better ~ that our behavior should improve, that…

Do you ever find yourself avoiding God? How often do you feel unworthy of His kindness toward you? When Peter witnessed the miraculous catch of fish in Luke 5, he fell down at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” Go away from me. In what circumstances do…

“So, Tammy, what do you do?” It was the party question I hated to be asked. The conversation-starter that bubbled every insecurity to the surface and made me feel like an insignificant nobody. For years, I dreaded attending social events with people I didn’t know. No college degree. No professional “career.” Married at 19. A…

What difference would it make in your life if you truly believed God loves you just the way you are?  If you knew beyond any doubt that He is not rolling His eyes in frustration with your lack of progress, or shaking His head in disappointment with your recent failure?  Could it possibly be true…