The older I get, the more convinced I am that Jesus’ presence with me – the gift of the Holy Spirit – comes alongside me, most often in very ordinary days and ways. Jesus in our midst — Do you notice that, too? In the Luke 24 Emmaus Road story, two adults were walking about […]
While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them. Luke 24:15 As two of his disciples walked from Jerusalem to Emmaus on that first Easter Sunday, mulling their profound disappointment and confusion surrounding the events of their master’s crucifixion, Jesus came near and walked with them. At first, they did […]
“We must no longer be children…. but we must grow up in every way … into Christ” -Apostle Paul One is hard-pressed to find a time in history when the Church has gone more places, provided more resources, and proclaimed the gospel more widely than over the past several decades. Yet amidst all these efforts, […]
From my home office window, I can see the final fruit of an exceptional pumpkin patch here on the Iowa prairie. It’s not commercial quality or quantity, no state fair winners, but it has been very rewarding and lots of fun. The grandchildren, ages 3 to 6, planted the carefully purchased seeds with no rhyme […]
When I heard that best-selling author and Christian counselor Larry Crabb had passed away last week, I got to some remembering. I recall seeing in the summer of 1989, a video series based on Crabb’s book Inside Out, in which he argued, if we are going to take seriously Jesus Christ, then we need to move […]
God plants inside every human being a desire to know him. It’s how we were made. Every. Single. Person. I was reminded rather poignantly of this a few weeks ago when I got to sit on the participant side of the VP3 training table while I enjoyed the leadership of one of our VP3 Coaches, […]
I recall in my mid-twenties sharing my faith story with a very wise man. After listening attentively for 20 minutes or so, he responded with a few affirmations and observations and prayers for me. His one observation that still lingers with me today is this: “Rob, seems like growing up you knew all your answers […]
When people have recently asked me this question –“Who is The Journey for?”–I have found myself responding by pointing to this Christian developmental path diagram we have been using around our offices. We’ve found it helpful (without prescribing a rigidity) to show where our VantagePoint3 Pathway fits within a broader understanding of a person’s growth toward maturity in Christ […]
20 years ago I read an excellent book that I still reread every two or three years – Leap Over a Wall: Earthy Spirituality for Everyday Christians by Eugene Peterson. At the tail end of a chapter on the friendship between David and Jonathan Peterson writes: It’s not unusual for any of us to […]
Like many of you, I’ve worked through The Journey a few times with groups of wonderful people. I’m in my fifth go round, still learning, still working through my personal journey, this time with a new group of friends. Today I read something I’ve read before (at least four times, anyway), and it spoke to […]