What if I told you that you could be my friend but there was a catch: you had to obey whatever I say? That would be weird, right? I don't think you'd want to be my friend. Friendships aren't usually predicated on requirements to obey somebody.

On most days of the week I try to read a lot of Scripture. In fact, I usually read up to 9 passages of Scripture on most days—3 passages assigned by Common Prayer (www.commonprayer.net) and 6 chapters assigned by myself (4 from the Old Testament and 2 from the New).

We want things to happen right away—right here and right now. Many things have been created and designed to make life as convenient and as efficient as possible for us. And if something isn't this way, we might get a little frustrated by that. We get a little frustrated when…

My son, who is currently in the toddler stage, woke up much earlier than usual this morning and started crying. He's usually a very good sleeper and he patiently plays in his room when my wife and I are not up yet to get him. He rarely wakes up so early…

It's no secret that developing any discipline in life takes a lot of time, effort, and hard work whether that's exercising, studying, writing, cleaning, cooking, or spiritual activities such as praying, reading God's Word, and contemplating. Acquiring any new habit is no…

We all have needs. We need food, water, clothing, and shelter to survive. We need to take care of our families and protect them. But around the world, it's becoming increasingly hard to meet these needs due to…

Following Jesus is hard work. Although salvation is free for us who believe (it was hard work for Jesus, however), following Jesus will cost us something. This is what Jesus had to say about the cost of discipleship (following Him): "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Matt. 16:24 ESV). I never have to…

Several months ago, I was speaking at a retreat. During each session of a retreat, I usually like to reserve some space for a time of Q&A where people can ask any questions they have. I typically get questions asking me to speak into a particular situation in life. For example…

Life can be quite unpredictable. Who knows what challenges you might face in the future? Struggling finances. Conflict in relationships. Health challenges. Work issues. Will you have the strength to face the challenges that might come your way?

We’re making decisions every single day. Some decisions we make are inconsequential. For example, it usually doesn't matter whether I wear a red shirt or a blue shirt today. It's a decision that…