What Do You Do When Your Hero Dies?

What Do You Do When Your Hero Dies?

When Alexi Navalny died in a Russian penal colony, Russia’s greatest hope for regaining its once-budding democracy died with him. He could have been one of the world’s great leaders, and he was sometimes paralleled to Nelson Mandela in South Africa. But instead, Putin got rid of the greatest threat to his mafia-style dictatorship by letting Navalny gradually die in prison. Though a long-time anti-corruption activist and democratic leader in Russia, early in his imprisonment, Navalny became a follower of Christ. And he quoted Jesus’ words from the Gospel of Matthew in his courtroom rebukes of Putin. This man uncovered Putin’s…

A Sevenfold Path of Spiritual Growth

A Sevenfold Path of Spiritual Growth

Everyone has a unique take on spiritual growth because we’re all different in some way, so we all gravitate toward one preference or another. Yet I keep coming back to seven key areas. If you have an additional eighth one, that’s great. These seven areas are universally important to anyone who seeks to grow in spirit and character. And they must all be intentional. This sevenfold path is not something to achieve. We don’t get there. We never “arrive.” This is a path we go on. These are attitudes. They are commitments. They are practices. This sevenfold path is one…

Focus on the Process

Focus on the Process

For most of my life, I’ve been oriented and reminded about having goals. Goals are good.But they just sit there ahead of you.Which is why I often failed to reach them. I got bogged down in between where I was and where I wanted to go. I learned that more important than the goal itself is the process. I have discovered that you are not separated from your vision and goals by time. You’re separated by action. acts within the whole process–most acts are small–must be intentional and consistent. this is true in every single area of life. And it’s…

A Biblical Perspective on the Israel-Gaza War

A Biblical Perspective on the Israel-Gaza War

I hesitated to post this month on the Israel-Gaza War because it would have been extremely long, and I don’t want to get political. But I concluded that I would be remiss if I did not at least post a biblical perspective that doesn’t get in the news. I’m limiting myself to that here, though there’s so much more to say from different perspectives. If you’d like the full four-pages of uncommon perspectives, you may email me, and I’ll send it. Israel was among the earliest nation states that is still a nation state today. The land called Israel /…

Time to Start Over?

Time to Start Over?

I edited a book for Dr. Ed West, who wrote, “A Christian who is exhausted by living life like everyone else should repent and start over.” Think about that. (And I’m not talking about exhaustion from sickness or life’s heavy demands—of course we’ll be exhausted from that. And I’m not talking about exhaustion from working hard at something meaningful and purposeful—go at it!)Here I’m focusing on exhaustion from living life with other people or contemporary society as the standard.Do you ever get exhausted by living your life like everyone else? Maybe it’s buying and paying for things the world says you…