By seeking stillness and solitude, I become more deeply connected to God. That relationship helps me take the pressure off other people in my life. I can receive them as the gift they are rather than demanding that they meet my needs.
Spiritual Disciplines
Learning the Discipline of Loving
So you’ve made a commitment to growing spiritually in 2017? You want to be spiritually stronger, wiser, and more grounded? You want 2017 to be a year of exponential growth? That’s what this series on Fruitful Discipline is all about. (Update on January 11, 2017: Listen to the corresponding sermon series on our Covenant-First Presbyterian YouTube … Continue reading Learning the Discipline of Loving
We’re Back! New 2017 Series on “Fruitful Disciplines”
The New Year means it’s time to return to writing the Horizons of the Possible Blog. I’m excited about a new sermon series that I’m doing called “Fruitful Disciplines.” It’s a 9 week exploration of the fruit of the Spirit, as described in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, … Continue reading We’re Back! New 2017 Series on “Fruitful Disciplines”
How The Meek Inherit The Earth
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.Yeah, right. In what way could that possibly be true? It’s easy to say, “Oh that’s a future promise.” In other words, “Suck it up now, and you’ll get a nice shiny reward in heaven.” While we certainly hope in the life eternal, isn’t there a present manifestation … Continue reading How The Meek Inherit The Earth
The Inspiring Event Two Churches Planned For Racial Harmony (Meditation on Ephesians 2:14)
Racial tension in Cincinnati was at a peak in 2001. Riots had broken out in downtown. Distrust ran deep. You could feel the walls that had been built up in the community over the years. In that mix, Northminster Presbyterian Church, a predominantly white congregation, and Winton Hills Presbyterian, a predominantly black congregation, determined that … Continue reading The Inspiring Event Two Churches Planned For Racial Harmony (Meditation on Ephesians 2:14)
Now Available: Going Deeper With the Holy Spirit.
At the end of January, I gave a presentation to the CS Lewis Institute on "Going Deeper With the Holy Spirit"Now, that presentation is available online for free at Prezi (click here to view).There is audio for each slide, so make sure your sound is up. Please note that you'll have to manually advance to … Continue reading Now Available: Going Deeper With the Holy Spirit.
Food For Thought: We Are All Scarecrows (Meditation on Ephesians 2:1-5)
First the bad news: we’re all scarecrows. Not the cute “Wizard of Oz” kind of scarecrow, with a winsome song and dance. Nor the scary “Batman” kind of scarecrow as psychopathic super-villain. No. We’re the T.S. Eliot kind of scarecrow: “We are the hollow men We are the stuffed men Leaning together Headpiece filled with … Continue reading Food For Thought: We Are All Scarecrows (Meditation on Ephesians 2:1-5)
Pray Like A Jazz Soloist – It’ll Set You Free
When I was a child, prayer came naturally. Like most children, I just spoke with God. But then I became a sophisticated teenager. Relationships suddenly became vast forests of mystery and complex interactions. Every conversation was pregnant with both pitfalls and opportunities. I discovered, as we all do when we leave childhood behind, that people … Continue reading Pray Like A Jazz Soloist – It’ll Set You Free
These 4 Books Helped Me Discover New Depths Of Prayer
I’ll confess it; prayer is difficult. After hearing the carefully crafted prayers of professional religionists, I used to despair, thinking “I’ll never be able to talk like that.” Then, I became one of those professional religionists, and that didn’t make it better. I felt like people expected neo-Shakespearian prose from me when I prayed. I … Continue reading These 4 Books Helped Me Discover New Depths Of Prayer
Theology MUST Lead To Doxology (Meditation on Ephesians 1:3-14)
Admit it, theology looks boring. Those thick books, rife with unpronounceable german words strung together in small print, they’re intimidating. If we summon the courage to heft one of these tomes off the shelf and peruse the pages, we find prose that sounds more pedantic than poetic. We quickly find ourselves adrift in a sea … Continue reading Theology MUST Lead To Doxology (Meditation on Ephesians 1:3-14)
Horizons of the Possible 