Discipleship and Spiritual Growth

The sacraments not only provide continuity with the historic church but—when connected to and given meaning by the written word of God—also give us a clear picture of Christ, what he has done for us, and what it means to be persons in him.

Somewhere along the way, the church started thirsting for other things. Hunger for matters other than spiritual maturity and progress surfaced to become primary over life-change.

The invitation is not to begin with external markers of success. It is to first receive. To first wait on God’s life and healing before we heal others.

To redeem our memories, we must begin where we are least likely to go, the place that we feel is least relevant in the here and now.

Grandmom and Grandad’s Louisiana table will always be my favorite table, carved walnut and long enough for their four kids to bring their kids who also brought theirs. It was the living table of a great-grandmother, and she set it with southern precision, in decadent layers of greenery and understated class.

“The heavens” also carried another important meaning in the ancient world. It referred to the dwelling place of God. The heavens are the invisible, intangible realm occupied by the Lord and his hosts.

The antidote to pride is still humility, but a kind of humility that’s different from what we’re used to. We typically think of humility as thinking lowly of oneself, and we don’t struggle to think lowly of ourselves.

Every person we translate Jesus to has two options: to follow Him or stay where they are. We do our part in prayer and partnership with Jesus.