When the crowds came to John the Baptist asking, "What then should we do?" his answer was startlingly practical: share your clothing and food, practice honesty, refuse exploitation, live with contentment. Repentance was not an inward feeling alone; it was a life reordered around the in-breaking reign of God.

“Darlene, I miss my time with you!” I will never forget these words from Jesus while feeling overwhelmed, empty and anxious during a busy time in my ministry. I had a long to-do list and let the church calendar lead my life. I ran to the altar with clipboard in hand, fell to my knees and cried out to Jesus for help and peace. I could not keep up the pace. I was doing many good things but not the best thing!

With nearly four decades in ministry, I have accumulated a couple of shelves of conference notebooks. Most focus on leadership, church growth, shepherding, and discipleship—each filled with valuable insights, motivation, and practical instruction. Yet no matter how helpful these resources may be, they hold little value unless put into practice.

How often do we organize our activities without inviting God to participate? Most of us attend church fervently on Sundays. However, when Monday arrives, we structure our days based solely on our own priorities, forgetting God’s purpose for our lives.

One of the greatest challenges we face as Christians is trying to understand why we passively resist the many blessings of God.

We've journeyed through Psalm 23 and discovered much about our identity and God's identity.

While Psalm 23:1-4 reminds us of the shepherd-like qualities Jesus offers us, verse five extends even more intimately to express how God is inviting us in as our host, preparing a table and anointing with oil.

One of the most common tendencies we have as humans (and one of the most dangerous) is to assume we are alone in our struggles. This is especially true in regard to mental health.

Can you sense the Holy Spirit wanting to get up-close-and-personal with you in today's Scripture reading? It's difficult to read this passage of the Good Samaritan and not feel some sort of conviction.

In this beloved Psalm, we are reminded of important characteristics of our God. And what a beautiful place to spend time today-rehearsing what is true of our LORD!

We’ve all done it. At least I have…and all too often, I’m afraid. I get word of someone’s point of need either through conversation or socia