“make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands” — 1 Thessalonians 4:11 NIV Climbing the ladder of success or clawing for the big promotion or obsessing about the most social media followers is not the means to a life of peace, contentment, and satisfaction. There is nothing wrong … Continue reading →
“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” — 1 Timothy 4:8 NIV The verse is contrasting putting our energy into a temporal earthly purpose vs putting our energy into an eternal spiritual purpose. There is value to doing things for temporal … Continue reading →
“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” 1 Timothy 6:6-8 NIV I once asked a hospice patient, How is your spirit? She immediately said, Content. I have a peace and contentment in … Continue reading →
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” — Galatians 5:22-23 NIV Love is a unique quality to the Christian faith. The emphasis on love is not to be compared in the sacred writings from other religions like it is in the Bible. It identifies God as love and speaks extensively … Continue reading →
Few of us have actually set out to live our lives as pirates, obsessively searching for rum and treasure while giving no regard for contributing to society or being a morally centered citizen. Some have and they have prisons to call their home. Most of us have set out to do something positive with our lives, like build a family … Continue reading →
“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” — Romans 8:6 NIV Sister Eva was a Catholic nun and a hospital chaplain whom I worked with for several years before she retired. She was fond of saying to me and the other chaplains, Don’t lose your peace. Whenever one … Continue reading →
Years ago I worked with a chaplain who would frequently tell me, “Don’t lose your peace.” This chaplain was an Irish Catholic nun who had one of the most beautiful characters you would ever meet. She was older, close to retirement at the time, and her wisdom was refreshing to our pastoral care team at this hospital. Her statement, “Don’t … Continue reading →
When I was baptized in 1981 as a new Protestant follower of Jesus Christ, the pastor who baptized me suggested that I pick a “life verse” and he would read it to the church as we stood in the baptistery. He explained that a life verse would serve my go-to Bible promise through different trials and circumstances as I journeyed … Continue reading →