A collection of thoughts I've had: We've been religious for decades about the words that come out of our mouths, but it's not about the words, it's about the hearts behind the words. Once your heart is whole, you don't have to focus on what comes out of your mouth. You can just focus on [...]
Back in my teens, I often ran to the front just as quickly as the one beside me when there was an altar call. "Will you go to the nations?" "Will you change the world?" "Will you obey the call and sacrifice it all?" "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes." It was such a noble [...]
We all reflect something, but if the only time we sparkle is when we're reflecting other people's light, it begs the question: Why is your own light so dim? And if the only time you feel good about yourself is when other people give you attention, it begs the question: Why can't you give yourself [...]
God had the Israelites pile rocks from the river bed as a memorial to the power of God to deliver them, and to bring them to the other side of the impossible and into their amazing futures. We are all unique seeing, communicating, loving, resting, supporting, laughing, organizing, thinking, teaching, light-filled, visible beacons—living stones—living memorials [...]
What does it mean—to be a light in the darkness? What's a practical way to let the light in you shine? We have to shine brightly, because the less we shine, the lower the light, the longer the shadows. "If you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, [...]
"The first step in asceticism the desert will teach you is purification from haste, agitation, impatience, pressure. In the desert you have to get rid of the 'master of the situation' complex. You find that you are little, insignificant, squeezed in on a waiting bench. No one takes any notice of your needs. Your name [...]
You know when you watch chick flicks and they're lying on the car on some overlook pointing out the stars, and one of them starts naming the constellations. Writers put stuff like that into books and movies because it triggers our spirit-soul connection with the source of all creativity. And when you're outdoors yourself some [...]
It is not a woman's job to make a man feel better about himself. It is not a man's job to make a woman feel better about herself. Value must come from within, and the responsibility to feel better about yourself comes from within too. When someone then treats you with value, you can nod your [...]
Sometimes things happen in life that leap into the base of your stomach with a thunk and slowly spend the next few days crawling back up the cliff face of your esophagus without a rope. It doesn’t matter who you talk to or how secretive you become about what’s going on—the fear sticks to your [...]
A few months ago, I read a post by a mom who had decided to stop telling her kids how to do anything a better way. Instead, when they ran up to her for her approval after doing something, she chose to say the words, "I just love to watch you ___ (dance, play soccer, [...]
