Today Was All Gift
Today was all gift. It’s Holy Week, and as I entered into spiritual formation practices today, it was all gift. In college, Professor Mark Quanstrom–who is also a pastor–preached an important sermon called “It’s all gift.” Not “it’s all a gift” because the theology is deeper than a transaction. It’s existential. I could not possibly […]
Simply Christmas Day 5
Day 5: Read Matthew 5 Our Simply Christmas devotional ends where Jesus ministry begins. Matthew 5 opens with the Sermon on the Mount, and for the next two chapters we read a simple, yet revolutionary invitation to live as Jesus did. So let’s once more make it simple, focusing on the words of Jesus that […]
Simply Christmas Day 4
Day 4: Read Matthew 4 While the first three chapters talk about Jesus, in Matthew 4 we begin to hear more from Jesus. As he was tested in the wilderness, he battled every temptation with words from Scripture. After forty days and nights of fasting and relying on God alone to sustain him, the words […]
Today I Abided
Today I abided. I fasted and prayed as part of my Sabbath. When these three spiritual rhythms are combined, the mystery of God is on display in a way that’s hard to explain. I talk a lot about Sabbath when I teach. I share a little about prayer–mostly that it’s the weakest area of my […]
