“Good News” Imagine sitting in a doctor’s office by yourself waiting for someone to walk through the door and tell you the results of the MRI scan. Imagine you’re practically waiting at the mailbox in hopes of receiving the check you need to make this month’s bills. Imagine yourself lost in an unfamiliar city as… [ Read the rest of this Entry ]

“Playfulness” Children in every culture practice it. Adults in most cultures seem to lose their ability to practice it over time. People who work too hard have often forgotten about it. Couples who date and begin to form attachments for each other often describe themselves as “serious” for the other person – and sometimes forget… [ Read the rest of this Entry ]

“Friend” Travel with me through time for a quick review of how important and how valuable is the love of a friend. Let’s start thousands of years ago in the book of Proverbs. “A friend loves at all times.” (Proverbs 17.17) The powerful love of a friend is with you through thick and thin; highs… [ Read the rest of this Entry ]

“No Shame” There’s guilt and then there’s shame. There is recognition of your act of wrongdoing and then there is shame. There is confrontation of sin and then there is shaming. “Shame” is a painful emotion experienced more intensely than guilt. It can be incapacitating and is sometimes the birthplace of addictions that are futile… [ Read the rest of this Entry ]

“Dispute” Have you ever noticed that from toddler years on up that disagreement quickly escalates into dispute? Did you ever consider that this escalation happens without any training or encouragement? No parent that I know has ever sat down with their child and coached them like this. “No Billy, Henry is coming over to play…. [ Read the rest of this Entry ]

“Waiting” There’s two kinds of waiting. The first can drive you crazy. The second can give you peace. The first kind can be a waste of time. The second kind of waiting is a great investment of time. The first kind of waiting is the kind that happens in traffic jams, at traffic lights and… [ Read the rest of this Entry ]

“Palms” If you want to show your support for your favorite team, what would you do? Here in Gainesville, home of the Gators, it is not uncommon to observe a T-shirt sea of orange and blue in the stadium. It lets you know you’re playing in “The Swamp.” The color theme is carried through with… [ Read the rest of this Entry ]

“Secure” Picture yourself standing in front of the mirror in the privacy of your bedroom or your bathroom. As you stand there naked, what do you see? Who do you see? How does it make you feel? It’s very likely most of us will be “insecure” about what we see. Except for the small percentage… [ Read the rest of this Entry ]

“Desires” The question is, “Does God give you what you want?” Let me throw in another question just like it. “Do your really want God to give you what you want?” Consider Psalm 37.4, “Delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” So…it seems like God does promise to… [ Read the rest of this Entry ]

“Justice” He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? -The Prophet Micah (6.8) This is a quote from a seldom heard from book of the Bible, the prophet Micah. The purpose of his prophetic… [ Read the rest of this Entry ]