I’ve never heard a preacher speaking of the relation between Haggai and James. But today I saw something new about how they, and you and I, are connected.

While we’re waiting for important people and big-news events to make the differences we’re seeking, God will probably work through someone almost nobody knows.

How do you grow a business, a nonprofit, a church, or a community without a plan? Is James 4 suggesting that we simply quit thinking and planning for the future? If you read only verses 13 and 14 you might decide that.

In a week when many are counting their blessings, this week we’ve concentrated on the believer’s greatest blessings of all. Which of these posts especially increased your gratitude quotient? Maybe you know someone who would be encouraged by that post as well!

A study of Francis Chan’s book makes me wonder how willing I am to seek and submit to the Spirit’s power every day.

Good, not good . . . how good? We may never agree about that in many situations, but God through Christ has offered a way for us to experience unity.

Darkness comes, but it does not win. It can’t because according to Jesus, it is finished.

It’s a humble path and a simple pursuit. Perhaps this is why so many fail to discover perfect, lasting peace.

Read these excerpts as a reminder of the hope and challenge available at this site every day. Choose one or two of these posts to read again. And decide who else you know who’d like to know more about this blog.

What will you put at the top of your gratitude list this Thanksgiving? One item in my Top 10 will surely be “I haven’t come down with COVID-19.” Which goes to show you just how inadequate my thanksgiving list is!

When we’re a member of a group, we learn to follow the rules the group imposes. But this prominent Jew decided something else was more important.

The pandemic has created stress for everyone, and for some it has been severe. But stress occurred before COVID-19, centuries ago, as we discover in the lament of the prophet.

Maybe you got yourself into this mess. Or maybe it washed over you through no fault of your own, and you’re overwhelmed with confusion about how to get out of it. Whatever the case, God will hear your cry for help.

Sliding into the base was natural for me. After many years of playing ball, it was my common practice. But not so much for the team I had just joined.

Jesus gives an illustration of a truth to challenge every believer: The amount of the gift is not nearly as significant as the heart of the giver.

It’s what’s inside that counts! This week’s posts help each reader do a helpful self-inventory. Which of these has helped you most? Which would bring the largest blessing to someone you know?

A friend’s tactic will help me tackle the projects all around me I’d rather just put off till tomorrow.

Neither Jeremiah nor Jesus promised us that life would be comfortable. But both did promise the dark will not last forever.

The preaching of Jesus, the song of the psalmist, the writer of Proverbs, and the science of building all lead us to the same conclusion.

If Jesus always noticed and always took time for the people he met each day, why do I think my mission is so important I can ignore the people who fill mine?