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What Love is Not

“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” – 1 Corinthians 13:6,7 Yesterday we talked about the purity of agape love and how it can be easily contaminated by selfish desires. As we continue our discussion of what love looks like, I want to share with you two things that it is not. First of all, love is not what you do, it’s who you become. I think we have a somewhat incorrect understanding of love that is often propagated by well-meaning churches. While it is true that love is demonstrated through action, simply willing yourself to do the right thing doesn’t make you a genuinely loving person. The fact is that love is a matter of the heart, and the ability to give agape love to others comes from within. The kind of love that Jesus demonstrated

March 14, 2022 No Comments

Faith in Attitude and Action

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” – Hebrews 11:1 Last week, we talked about Satan’s three opening moves — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Today, we are going to begin talking about the three opening moves Jesus has that enable us to counter the devil’s attacks on our life: faith, death to self and agape love. For the next few days, we are going to look specifically at faith, because without it, death to self and agape love are not possible. For those of you who go to church, you hear the word faith often. I think that sometimes we make the whole concept of faith kind of mystic and overly-complicated when the truth is, it’s actually quite simple — it just means trust. For example, when you walk

March 3, 2022 1 Comment

You’re Not What You Do

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” – Ephesians 2:8,9 Well, the holidays have passed, and many of you will have returned to your regular routine by today. You may return to your office to find an inbox full of messages from folks who require your assistance. There may even be a desire to become overwhelmed and frustrated at the start of the year. If you’re feeling this way, please remember one thing: you are not what you do. Even if you’re still on vacation and haven’t yet returned to the grind, I encourage you to think about this crucial concept. Many people who grew up in religious households are shocked to learn that they are not what they do. In fact, I was asked to

January 3, 2022 No Comments

Worrier to Warrior

“When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, ‘The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.’” – Judges 6:12 I implore you to transform from a worrier to a warrior! “I don’t want to tiptoe through life only to arrive safely at death,” Tony Campolo famously declared. I don’t believe God wants this for any of His precious children. I once heard the story of Eli, a young boy. Eli was terrified of anything sharp or pokey as a child, including scissors, needles, splinters, bee stings, and other similar objects. His parents shielded him from sharp objects because they wanted to help him. They stopped going to movies because of the scary scenes, they let his hair grow out because he was frightened of scissors, and they avoided looking at flowers since bees live in flowers. Eli eventually became fearful of leaving the house or doing anything because

January 2, 2022 No Comments

New Year, New Lessons

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.“ – 2 Peter 1:3 Happy New Year! This particular time, with all the optimism, possibilities, and potential we are faced with at the start of another year, excites me every year. As we progress forward in the wonderful things God has called us to, I like to think of it as an opportunity to reset, shake off the old, and establish new goals for ourselves. Each year will undoubtedly bring new problems and tribulations, but I encourage you to approach each day with optimism and anticipation, and to commit to be a person of action rather than fear. Now, because today is a vacation and many of you are likely to be doing something relaxing, such as watching sports or watching a movie,

January 1, 2022 1 Comment

Safe and Strong

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:31 It is our responsibility as leaders in whatever capacity to keep people safe while also assisting them in becoming stronger. This is particularly true when it comes to parenting and grandparenting. There is a built-in tension in today’s environment between protection and the suffering that leads to growth. It’s easy to keep our children from trying the things they need to in order to develop character strength in the name of protecting them. For example, perhaps your child wishes to participate in a sport or activity that involves some physical danger. As the person in charge of their physical safety as well as their general development, it’s critical that you assess the pros and cons

October 30, 2021 2 Comments

The Choice in Love

“And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.’” – Genesis 2:16,17 Love is a word that’s used frequently in our culture. We sing about it in songs and glorify it in movies, yet when asked what it really is, many of us are unable to give a meaningful answer. Some say it’s a feeling or a state of being, and others believe it’s a perfect relationship. And while it can be embodied in all of these things, the truth about love is that it’s an invisible force — exemplified by God Himself — that’s demonstrated in action. When the Lord placed Adam and Eve in the Garden, everything was perfect, and walking in love was

July 3, 2021 No Comments

Stubborn For Truth

“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” – James 4:17 I shared yesterday about catching a shark when I was eleven years old, and how it taught me that being stubborn for what I want is (usually) a good thing. Another growing up story that reminds me of my unyielding nature happened when I was in the car with a friend a few years later. Michael was his name, and we were busy talking when he got into the drive-thru line at In-N-Out Burger. Somewhat distracted, he moved ahead a bit too quickly and just tapped the bumper of the vehicle in front of us. Naturally, he felt really bad, so we got out to inspect for damage. When we noticed a bunch of scuffs and scratches on the back of the other guy’s car, Michael began giving

April 13, 2021 No Comments

Preparation is Power

“However, as it is written: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’— the things God has prepared for those who love him.” – 1 Corinthians 2:9 The dictionary defines preparation as “the action or process of making ready or being made ready for use.” Though many of us don’t give a lot of thought to preparation in our 21st century world, in the Bible — especially the Old Testament — it’s a very common theme. The Jews gave time and attention to preparing their bodies, minds, and hearts for both worship and war. And while our culture is quite different now than it was then, I believe it behooves us to embrace the value and power of preparation today. As those who’ve surrendered our outcomes to Jesus Christ, each of us is in a season of equipping — it’s just

February 23, 2021 1 Comment

Love is Time

“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” – 1 John 3:18 With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, we see and hear the word love a lot. Though this invisible virtue is oft-celebrated and idealized in film, story, and song, it behooves us to apply ourselves to its true meaning. You see, more than feelings, emotions, or romance, love is action, and it becomes tangible as we put it into motion by giving priority to the interests of others. One of the most important ways we do this is by spending time with people. At my Grandpa Schuller’s memorial service, my dad shared a very touching story. He recalled that when he was a little boy, his dad (my grandpa) was preparing to go on a fishing trip with his buddies. As he gathered his gear and waited for his friends to

February 4, 2021 No Comments

What Love is Not

Faith in Attitude and Action

You’re Not What You Do

Worrier to Warrior

New Year, New Lessons

The Choice in Love

Stubborn For Truth

Preparation is Power

Love is Time

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