It is hard to believe, but only about four years ago did I find out that I am an introvert! I started my career in Australia working in the basement of a hospital running five computers. The exhaustion introverts experience in the presence of a crowd of chatty co-workers was unknown to me. That all changed when I moved to California to work in a cubicle among fifteen noisy, bubbly people. It was exhausting. I counseled about this issue, took a Myers-Briggs personality test, and confirmed that … [Read more...] about Spiritual Energy
Practical Christain Living
Preparing for Spiritual Tests
Think back to when you were in school, and you had a big exam coming up and a lot of studying to do. How did you prepare? Did you make socializing a priority and then need to cram in as much knowledge as you could right before the test? Arriving on test day sweating and nervous? Or did you spend time each day studying and reviewing what you had just learned in class? Able to come into the exam with confidence? God has tests for us, and many can be seen in prophecies about the events leading … [Read more...] about Preparing for Spiritual Tests
Staying in the Right Lane
I live just outside Denver, Colorado, and commute into the city for work. Over the past two years, Iâve noticed certain patterns in traffic flow. One of the four lanes available to me is the one that gets me to work in fifteen short minutes. In the âright lane,â the journey is consistent, a proven path. Now and then, my âright laneâ appears to slow, and I am tempted to move into the adjacent lane. If I do, inevitably, it seems the car that was behind me rolls right past as the âright laneâ … [Read more...] about Staying in the Right Lane
Are You Listening?
How many times have we thought in our minds, âWhy doesnât God just tell me what to do?â If Heâs not verbally communicating with us, how do we hear His voice? Sometimes God literally directs our physical path. âIn all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.â (Proverbs 3:6). When we ask for an answer from God it must be according to His principles. For Godâs Spirit to work in us, we have to have the right attitude and live according to Godâs way. Looking and listening for … [Read more...] about Are You Listening?
Conflict Resolution
We canât get around the fact that in this world weâll have conflict. How many times have we said the wrong thing or displayed the wrong attitude, knowing that it has caused offense? Conflict stems from a lack of understanding the different things that motivate each of us: âWhat causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?â (James 4:1 ESV). Godâs Holy Spirit canât come to its fullest when weâre divided, and that disunity corrupts … [Read more...] about Conflict Resolution
Are You Anchored?
Years ago, I worked as a Project Assistant for the Arizona Game and Fish Department on a trout habitat below Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River. We arrived by boat near the diversion tunnels at the base of the dam, and as he jumped out, my boss wrapped the rope around a large rock. After working a while, I went back for supplies. Climbing over a rock outcropping, I panicked! The rope had come loose, and the current was rapidly pulling the boat downstream. I took a gigantic leap for it. … [Read more...] about Are You Anchored?
What is Human Greatness?
What is human greatness to you? What sort of definition comes to your mind when you think of someone being âgreatâ? Some might think of personality, intellect, wealth or physical prowess as something that sets someone in the realm of the âgreat.â Obvious and publicized accomplishments that make oneâs name widely recognized would surely be markers of greatness. Alexander the Great conquered all the known world by the age of 33. Thomas Edison held over 1,000 patents for his many inventions in … [Read more...] about What is Human Greatness?