She had it all. A rock-solid relationship with God. A doting husband. A fruitful garden that spilled over with everything she’d ever need. Yet, her eyes would wander to the only off-limits tree. Her mind would wonder what made it so special that God would tell her ‘no’. And, if she were honest, a seedContinueContinue reading “Hidden Treasures: Wise and All-Knowing”
Tag Archives: Hidden
Hidden Treasures: Present and Compassionate
He just disappeared. One minute I had him in my sights; the next moment, my three-year-old was gone. Heart pounding, I grabbed my oldest son’s hand and we scoured the store. We ran up and down the aisles, shouting his name. I even asked strangers to look in the men’s bathroom. He was nowhere toContinueContinue reading “Hidden Treasures: Present and Compassionate”
Hidden Treasures: Just and Righteous
Habakkuk handed us an incredible image of God’s lightning-filled-right-hand to help us grasp just how much power our God holds (3:4). However, with such a picture of God, we might be tempted to see Him as an enraged entity who impatiently waits to strike us down with one of those bolts the second we stepContinueContinue reading “Hidden Treasures: Just and Righteous”
Hidden Treasures: All-Powerful and Almighty
As the grand finale of the semester, our philosophy professor set out to use his skills to ‘prove’ that God is not real. He listed all the ‘attributes’ of God that makes ‘God’ God – He’s loving, good, powerful – then spoke his logic in such a way that it almost sounded like truths: ExampleContinueContinue reading “Hidden Treasures: All-Powerful and Almighty”
Hidden Treasures: Good Redeemer
It’s so easy to pick up culture’s language, if not beliefs, without realizing it. We can be at lunch with our friends right after church on a Sunday and scoff together over karma’s justice for a mutual acquaintance who got her due. We laugh. We nod. And part of us believes karma to be trueContinueContinue reading “Hidden Treasures: Good Redeemer”
Hidden Treasures: God Is God
She convinced me with her charisma that she was the one wronged, that the leaders of our church were out to get her. So, my heart went out to her, and what felt like righteous anger toward our pastor began to take hold. Thankfully, God stepped in and put me in the path of ourContinueContinue reading “Hidden Treasures: God Is God”
Hidden Treasures: Deep Digging
Gold. Crowns. Goblets. Coins. Such are the images that flood our minds when we think of ‘hidden treasure’. But, as the infamous treasure hunter and pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow would say, “Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate.” And Jesus would heartily agree, Jack. In fact, on one particular day, as Jesus attempted toContinueContinue reading “Hidden Treasures: Deep Digging”
Hidden Agendas: Eternity
Heaven. What pictures pop into your mind when you read the word, heaven? Angels, pearly gates, throne room, streets of gold, joyful reunions? And you’d have listed many of the Bible’s descriptions of heaven.1 How about ‘clouds and sky’? We may hesitate and question the location of heaven – is it really ‘up’? I mean,ContinueContinue reading “Hidden Agendas: Eternity”
Hidden Agendas: Community
Certainty.Control.Individualism.Independence.Polarity.Popularity. These words generally capture the essence of our current American culture. They work together to give definition for what Americans desire, value, and live out most. Curiosity.Surrender.Unity.Dependence.Like-mindedness.Love. These words characterize God’s Kingdom. They work together to describe a community that pursues the best for the whole and for their King. What’s wild to meContinueContinue reading “Hidden Agendas: Community”
Hidden Agendas: Spirit
In this series we’ve been pulling the curtain back to see our inner selves more clearly, specifically to see the motives that move us through life. Parallel to such revelations, we’ve been looking more closely at what it is to live for God’s Kingdom – those agendas that we want to trade-up for. Obtaining clarityContinueContinue reading “Hidden Agendas: Spirit”