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In “A Portrait of the Christian Life,” Stephen Brucker writes, “The Beatitudes create a portrait of the Christian man and woman. They are to read like a mirror, gazing at the Spirit’s work in a Christian’s life. Starting with the heart, bowing to God in humble submission and sorrowful contrition leads…

In Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love, Sue Johnson writes, “Emotional balance, calm, and vibrant joy are the rewards of love.” —Jim L. Wilson Hold Me Tight, 257 Luke 6:35 (HCSB) But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will…

In a recent interview, J. Budziszewski, a professor at the University of Texas in Austin discussed the lifestyle of many college students. In discussing how to keep young people Christian when they leave for college he says “We haven’t a chance of getting people to live a Christian way of life if they…

Psychologists say it is normal for people to talk to themselves because it can change how they think and feel. Ethan Kross, director of the Emotion and Self Control lab at the University of Michigan, says self-talk can help a person envision alternative scenarios and prepare reactions or new strategies.…

In the book, Forgiveness and Health: Scientific Evidence and Theories Relating Forgiveness to Better Health, the authors write, “Unforgiveness has been positively associated with psychological disorders including depression, anxiety, and PTSD.” In other words, not forgiving others hurts your mental health.…

Michael B. Jordon shares a name with one of the most famous basketball players of all time. Living with a famous name is not easy. “I hated my name. I wanted to change it,” Jordan, who is an accomplished actor says. “But it gave me a healthy chip on my shoulder. One of my goals is when people hear ‘Michael…

Teenagers who join the Goth subculture are at a substantially increased risk of depression and self-harm, according to a recent British study. “The longitudinal study of 3,694 adolescents found that teens who identify as Goth at age 15 are three times more likely than other teens to be clinically depressed…

In The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes, “Suffering, then, is the badge of true discipleship.” —Jim L. Wilson Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, 91. Philippians 3:10 (HCSB) My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed…

Solitude is a key spiritual discipline. Green Bank, WV is a great place to practice it. With only one road into town the population of 143 has all the peace and quiet they need. In addition, it is also located in a Quiet Zone roughly the size of Maryland. This is the site of the Robert C. Byrd radio…

Bubba Watson won the Master’s Golf tournament twice. The prestige of winning the coveted green jacket given to the tournament champion makes Watson one of the world’s premier golfers. How does Watson view himself? His self-description on Twitter reads simply, “Christian. Husband. Daddy. Pro-golfer.”…

An article published by Lifeway Research states that fewer people may be calling themselves Christians in the future, and the trend may be a good thing. After reading the article written by Ed Stetzer, Greg Jao said he agrees with the prediction and says this is not bad because more people will be more…

Missionaries in China had been training leaders for several weeks. Following a session on baptism, a fifteen-year-old girl felt led to submit to the ordinance. The girl’s father performed the baptism. Missionaries listened joyfully as the father asked his daughter the first of several questions: “Do…

Os Guinness is a noted speaker and the author or editor of more than 30 books. Born and reared in China, the son of missionaries, Guinness spent the first 10 years of his life there. In 1949 the communists who had seized power forced his parents out of China. In an interview with World Magazine Guinness…

I wish I could remember in which city I was standing as I looked at that very expensive car. It was not just the car that “caught” my eye. On the back bumper was a sticker which read: “I Owe, I Owe, So Off to Work I Go.” I also don’t know if the company which had printed the sticker had paid any royalties…

A new listing of churches within a denomination has found an interesting trend among young Christians. The survey conducted for Churches or Christ that most denominations are seeing a decline in overall membership. Carl Royster who conducted the survey says he found an increasing number of Americans…

In The Divine Commodity: Discovering a Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity, Skye Jethani writes, “But the idea of community always appears more beautiful than the reality. Real people are difficult, and real arguments erupt. This is the dilemma of community — we desire it, we need it, but we seem ill…

The National Opinion Research Center in Chicago recently compiled data from surveys performed over the past twenty years in thirty different countries and found that belief in God is highest among older people, and the likelihood that a person will believe in God increase with age. Researchers said they…

In The Divine Commodity: Discovering a Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity, Skye Jethani writes, “In Consumer Christianity, our concern is not primarily whether people are transformed to reflect the countercultural values of God’s kingdom, but whether they are satisfied — often measured by attendance…

Jerry Maestas might have trouble telling if a person was spiritually dead or not. After all, he drove his car for three days with a passenger, Amy Marquez, who had none of the signs of life. Finally, he drove her to an emergency room where she was pronounced dead. “I don’t know how he didn’t know” (she…

A farmer in Northern Ireland displayed an unusual response to the wardrobe of a pop star. Farmer Alan Graham had given permission for pop star Rihanna to use his farm to shoot a video for her latest music single. In the middle of the shoot, Graham decided the singer had gone too far and stopped the production.…

In Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives, Richard Swenson writes: “We need to develop a new depreciation of things and a new appreciation of people. Things are to be used, and people are to be served.” --Margin, Kindle Loc. 1394 Illustration by Jim L.…

In Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: Unleash A Revolution In Your Life in Christ, Peter Scazzero writes, “According to Gallup polls and sociologists, one of the greatest scandals of our day is that ‘evangelical Christians are as likely to embrace lifestyles every bit as hedonistic, materialistic, self-centered…

In Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream, David Platt writes, “We realize that we are saved not just to be forgiven of our sins or to be assured of our eternity in heaven, but we are saved to know God. So we yearn for him. We want him so much that we abandon everything else to experience…

In his book, Interpreting Gospel Narratives, Timothy Wiarda writes, “But whether our prized methods relate to exegesis and exposition (as I obviously hope they do) or other areas of ministry practice. Jesus’ words in John 15:26-27 remind us that kingdom impact always depends on a work of the Holy Spirit.…

In Forgotten God: Reversing our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit, Francis Chan writes, “Do you exhibit more kindness and faithfulness than the Mormons you know? Do you have more self-control than your Muslim friends? More peace than Buddhists? More joy than atheists? If GOD truly lives in you, shouldn’t…