You become like what you worship. N. T. Wright When I was a child, we sang a classic hymn in church with these words:            Praise to the Lord, the almighty, the King of creation           O my soul praise him, for he is thy health and salvation           All ye who hear, now to his temple draw near, join me in glad adoration. I imagine many of us have enthusiastically sung these words – or others like them –proclaiming our worship of God. This hymn rightly claims that we should praise and honor the God of creation. He should be the object of our reverence. Why? Because we become like what – or who – we worship. The challenge, of course, is not to simply sing these words, but to live them out. It’s what we do that actually reveals what we value and love. It’s the clearest sign of what we actually worship. For example, do we seek our value through our career, or approval and acceptance from others, or material success, or simply from pleasure?  Consider ho

"For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord,  "plans to prosper you and not to harm you,  plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 Our kitchen definitely needs help. Everything is looking old. The cabinet doors won’t close properly, the tile on the counter is cracked, the dishwasher is leaking, the flooring is permanently dirty, and the shelves are always sticky. Sigh. It's not very functional, it's embarrassing to look at, and I hate to have guests see it. Even I hate to see it!  Our kitchen – the heart of our home – needs a redo.  But...how big of a redo? I mean, it is bad, but is it worth thousands of dollars to remodel? Maybe we should just scrape out the bad grout, put bleach on the shelves to scrub them clean, and paint over the old cabinets. Do we really need to spend the money to remodel it? This is the issue my husband and I wrestled with many years ago. And in the case of a kitchen, arguments certainly c

…we have all these great witnesses who encircle us like clouds.  So, we must let go of every wound that has pierced us  and the sin we so easily fall into.  Then we will be able to run life’s marathon race with passion and determination,  for the path has been already marked out before us.  Hebrews 12:1 The Passion Translation I appreciate how the author of Hebrews uses imagery of the ancient Olympic races as a metaphor for the spiritual life. He reminds his audience that athletes in the Games become greatly animated, because influential and powerful citizens of the country are intensely watching the competition. This induces the contestants to make extraordinary efforts to display their determination, their prowess, and their ability to win against all odds. They focus on the goal so they won’t stumble or get waylaid due to distraction. Describing life’s race as a marathon offers a great picture of the endurance we need for the long haul. It reminds us that we can los

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,  that whoever believes in him  shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16 This was the first Scripture I memorized as a child in Sunday School. I often think of it as I approach the Easter season, because Jesus’ sacrifice was motivated by his great love for us. In response to this demonstration of God’s love, many Christians around the world spend time preparing to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus at Easter. Because Jesus sacrificed for us, the Easter season has been a traditional time for believers to sacrifice something for Jesus. We give up something, or abstain from something, to help our hearts and minds focus on what Jesus did for us. Not all church traditions or Christian individuals prepare in this way; but I think there can be great merit in taking time and effort to change a habit, or a routine, for a spiritual reason during this spiritual season. We live in a culture of self-