WHY DO I CONSTANTLY STRUGGLE WITH THE SAME SINFUL ACTIONS? It is the heavy, exhausting cycle of the Christian life that nobody likes to talk about. You spend time in deep prayer, step away from an altar, or close your Bible feeling completely resolved. You tell yourself, Never again. I am done with this behavior….
Answering the Difficult Questions Series (9 of 10)
WHY AM I SO EASILY OFFENDED BY PEOPLE’S REACTIONS? It happens in the blink of an eye. You share a thought in a meeting, offer a suggestion to a family member, or pour your heart into a text message. You expect warmth, or at least agreement. Instead, you get a short, blunt answer. A flat…
Answering the Difficult Questions Series (8 of 10)
WHY AM I ALWAYS LACKING SELF-CONFIDENCE? It hits you before you even walk through the door. Maybe it’s an upcoming meeting at work, a casual social gathering, or a new ministry opportunity at church. Everyone else seems to carry themselves with an effortless ease, walking around with an unshakeable sense of security. But inside your…
Answering the Difficult Questions Series (7 of 10)
AM I TRULY DOING GOD’S WORK OR IS THIS FOR PERFORMANCE RECOGNITION? It creeps in when the applause dies down. Maybe you just finished leading a powerful small group session, or perhaps you spent your Saturday organizing the church pantry until your back ached. Externally, it is beautiful. It is service. It is, by all…
Answering the Difficult Questions Series (6 of 10)
ARE MY MOTIVES UPRIGHT, TRUE AND HUMBLE? It usually happens when everything looks totally fine on the outside. You’re saying the right thing, offering a helping hand, or stepping up to serve where there’s a need. On paper, it’s a good deed. But then, in the quiet moments before you fall asleep, that little voice…
Answering the Difficult Questions Series (5 of 10)
WHY AM I CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF ME? It hits you at the strangest times. It doesn’t usually happen when you’re standing on a stage or leading a meeting. It comes when you’re walking down the supermarket aisle. It creeps in while you’re composing a simple email, deleting and rewriting the same sentence…
Answering the Difficult Questions Series (4 of 10)
AM I SERVING THE LORD OR LOOKING FOR MAN’S RECOGNITION? I’ll be completely honest with you: this week, I’ve been wrestling. It usually starts quietly. Someone stops me after service to say they liked the sermon. Or I get a text message out of the blue thanking me for a piece of advice. In our…
Answering the Difficult Question Series (3 of 10)
WHAT HAS GOD CALLED ME TO DO? There’s a weight to this question that catches you off guard. It doesn’t come during worship songs or altar calls. It comes in the supermarket checkout line. While washing dishes. At 3 a.m. when sleep has abandoned you and there’s nothing left to do but think. What has…
Answering the Difficult Questions Series (2 of 10)
AM I DOING WHAT GOD CALLED ME TO DO? There is a question that doesn’t shout. It waits. It waits until the house is quiet. Until the sermon is preached and the chairs are stacked and the lights are off. Until you’ve done the faithful thing for the hundredth time and nobody noticed. Then it…
Answering the Difficult Question Series (1 of 10)
WHAT IS TROUBLING ME NOW MORE THAN USUAL? A Reflection from the Jubber Journal There are seasons when trouble feels familiar, like old friends who visit too often. Then there are seasons when something shifts — and the weight settles differently. More heavily. More persistently. I won’t pretend otherwise: something is troubling me now more…