Let’s talk about the “P” word – purity. Charles Spurgeon said, “I would rather be holy and happy.” But it is not enough to maintain a pure lifestyle. Motive trumps actions. Saint Augustine said, “God bestows more consideration on the purity of the intention with which our actions are performed than on the actions themselves.”…
Words matter. Don’t take my word for it. Consider the testimony of the wisest man who ever lived. Solomon said, “It is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time” (Proverbs 15:23). The average person speaks anywhere from 2,000 to 10,000 words a day, depending on which study you trust, and whether the…
Things aren’t always what they appear. Did you know that Minnesota, the “land of 10,000 lakes,” actually has about 12,000 lakes? Meanwhile, neighboring Wisconsin has 15,000 lakes. Here are some other things you may not have realized. There are a lot of things that may surprise you, even in the area of sex and addiction.…
One night, at the dinner table, the wife told her husband, “I remember when we were first married, you always took the smallest piece of steak and left me the largest piece. Now that we’ve been married for 25 years, you always take the larger piece of steak. You don’t love me anymore!” Her husband…
One day Jesus encountered a blind man named Bartimaeus. Then he asked Bart what seemed to be a really strange question. “What is it that you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51). The man’s need was pretty obvious. He wanted to regain his sight. But Jesus didn’t put words in his mouth; he…
You are special. We all are. C.S. Lewis wrote, “You have never talked to a mere mortal.” In the eyes of the Creator, you aren’t a “mere” anything. In December, 1968, Apollo 8 orbited the moon ten times, looking for the perfect landing spot for a future mission. Astronaut Bill Anders took a picture of…
The French poet Jacques Reda had a habit of walking the streets of Paris with the intention of seeing something new every day. That is how he renewed his passion for the city he loved. It is important to renew your passion for the things you see every day. Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote, “Earth’s crammed…
There are two kinds of people in the world – those who enter a crowded room thinking, “Here I am!” And those who enter a room thinking, “Here you are!” Which person are you? This matters because our recovery is never complete until we help someone else with their recovery. We must learn to shift…
Too many of us get too offended by too many people too much of the time. And that’s a problem, because when we are offended, we become stuck in our recovery. Living in “offended” mode is indicative of a lack of forgiveness, and when you don’t forgive someone, you are letting those who hurt you…
Here’s the problem with anxiety. It always overestimates our problems and underestimates our resources. Jesus said, “Do not worry about your life” (Matthew 6:25. He followed that up with, “Do not worry about tomorrow” (Matthew 6:34). Clearly, Jesus was opposed to anxiety. In some cases, anxiety must be treated clinically. But in most cases, we…