Tag: Spiritual Growth
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Is the Commandment to Love Really New?
The commandment to love is both old and new–old in its origin in the Torah, and new in the way Jesus embodies, deepens, and empowers it. This post explains how Jesus’ “new commandment” fulfills and transforms the ancient command to love, revealing a deeper, Spirit‑empowered way of abiding in God. Why Jesus Calls the Commandment Read more
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When Writers of Grace Are in Need of Grace Themselves
I’ve been following the news about Philip Yancey’s confession of his eight‑year‑long affair. Mostly to see how the Christian community reacts as the man who wrote multiple books about God’s grace—books that shaped so many of us and helped us understand the wideness of God’s mercy—now stands in need of grace himself, in a very Read more
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How Choosing a Word of the Year Shapes Your Creative Life
Choosing a Word of the Year is about more than just tradition. It’s about following a creative framework that shapes your focus, your storytelling, and your spiritual growth. My word for 2026 is REVEAL, and it’s already reshaping how I approach my creative life. Every January, the world seems to split into two camps: the Read more
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How to Build Each Other Up This Thanksgiving
“Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say ‘Amen’ to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up.”— 1 Corinthians 14:16–17 (ESV) Thanksgiving Day always Read more
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The Greater Miracle: Forgiveness and Healing in the Story of the Paralytic
In the Gospel story of the paralytic man lowered through the roof by his friends, Jesus asks a piercing question: “Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Get up and walk’?” (Matthew 9:5, NIV) On the surface, the answer seems obvious. Anyone could say, “Your sins are forgiven,” because there’s no visible Read more
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Empathy, Assassination, and the Oldest Trick in the Book
I never heard of Charlie Kirk until he was dead. In recent years, I’ve made a point of staying away as much as possible from anything the least little bit political. But my Facebook feed blew up in waves of anger and jubilation after the man was assassinated, and I was instantly curious. I’ve learned Read more
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What the Resurrection Lily Reveals About Trusting in God’s Love
“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” — (Matthew 6:28-29, KJV) There’s something quietly arresting about the resurrection lily in this photo—its pale pink petals unfurling Read more
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When All Things Work Together: A Blueprint for Good Storytelling
Romantic suspense thrives on tension, misdirection, and mystery—but beneath the chaos and uncertainty, there’s often a heartbeat of redemption. Especially in Christian fiction. That’s exactly what pulses through my novel Fireman’s Lesson in Love. All things work together. It’s no accident. The entire plot is quietly but powerfully built on Romans 8:28 (NIV): “And we Read more
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Out from Under My Mother’s Wing: A Journey of Pain, Growth, and Freedom
Under My Mother’s Wing; In Her Shadow How my mother’s early trauma shaped the power dynamic in our relationship My mother was a force—complicated, commanding, and deeply shaped by the circumstances of her own upbringing. For much of my life, I existed under my mother’s wing. In her shadow. When my mother was around ten Read more