Category: Christian Spirituality
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Weak: Reflections on the Spirit and the Flesh
Note: Refiner’s Fire truly will be back soon! In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy this deeply honest reflection from my book Still Praying in the Wilderness and Other Essays for the Spiritually Thirsty. # I’m so tired. It’s two o’clock in the morning. I’m staring bleary-eyed at my computer, praying that this huge file will finish…
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Fear and Trembling: Reflections on Reality
Note: Refiner’s Fire truly will be back soon! Life and research have conspired to create a pause, but it should not last much longer. In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy this reflection on what really matters, taken from my book Still Praying in the Wilderness and Other Essays for the Spiritually Thirsty. Life can be worrisome…
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The God Backstage: On the Presence of God in the Mundane
Note: Refiner’s Fire will be back soon. I’m still wrapping up a particularly tricky bit in the middle, but it will be posted here soon. In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy this essay on God in the mundane and the high moments of our lives. (This essay is taken from my book Still Praying in the Wilderness…
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I Surrender All: Reflections on Surrender to Jesus
Note: Refiner’s Fire will be back soon. I’m currently hunkered down researching some of the history pieces for it; the next section will be posted here soon. In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy this reflection on surrender to God, especially in times when we don’t understand. All to Jesus, I surrender All to him I…
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Who Is Jesus to You? (Guest Post)
WHO IS JESUS TO YOU? by Mercy Hope Excerpt from Sacred Space: Cultivating Your Personal Eden in a Fallen World Thirteen years ago, I was at a conference where Judy Jacobs was ministering. I have a special place in my heart for that woman of God! Through a prophetic word and personal prayer, she imparted something…
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Radical Identification and the Kingdom of God: Finding God in One Other
The one who welcomes you welcomes Me, and the one who welcomes Me welcomes Him who sent Me. (Matthew 10:40) Up until this point in Matthew 10, we’ve seen Jesus call over and over for radical identification with himself and his mission. But the tables are turned here — this is where Jesus promises to…
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Losing to Find: How Surrender to Jesus Helps Us Discover Ourselves
Anyone finding his life will lose it, and anyone losing his life because of Me will find it. (Matthew 10:39) Like Jesus’s prior statement that he is to be loved above anyone or anything else, including our own lives, this is not the statement of an ordinary human being or teacher. It’s an extraordinary claim.…
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Rise Up and Follow: Loving Jesus for All He Is Worth
The person who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; the person who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. (Matthew 10:37-38) With these words, the commissioning of Matthew 10…
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The Presence of God and the Value of Sparrows: Why We Don’t Need to Be Afraid
From Rachel: I apologize for the lack of a new blog post last week. Health reasons prevented me from writing, but I’m glad to be back this week! Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body…
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“Your Father Knows”: Why It Matters Who You Pray To
From Rachel: I am kicking off 2019 with three months of rest and seeking God, so I am reposting favorites from the blog. I’ll be back with new posts in mid-April. Enjoy! When you pray, don’t babble like the idolators, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. Don’t be like them, because your…