My Soul Purpose ®

I see my new granddaughter. I am reminded, “We were innocent before we started feeling guilty, we were in the light before we entered the…

“The world has changed,” was my first thought.  I looked for the Almighty.  I did not see Him in the planes that struck the towers. …

“What I really lack is to be clear in my mind about what I am to do, not what I am to know… The thing…

There is an old, hackneyed phrase that has fallen out of use, “We need to get under the spout where the glory comes out.”  I…

“Whether you like it or not, read and pray daily. It is for your life; there is no other way.”John Wesley, “A Letter to John…

Evelyn Underhill has observed that the whole of the inner life, “swings between the unseen and the scene.” Both are important, but the “seen” is…

In a practical sense, spirituality is about the quality of our relationships, the way we care for each other. For Christians, spirituality in our relationships…

For a Christian, spirituality is found in Jesus Christ. Through Jesus, we are aware that life is sacred, that we share a sacred journey, and…

Based on the model of Jesus, Henri Nouwen notes that “solitude is not a private therapeutic place, rather, it is the place of conversion, the…

Jesus, alone in the desert, faced the desires born of the world: to be relevant, [“stones into bread”], to be spectacular, [“throw yourself down”], and…

God created us to long for Him. God is our genuine home.  Jesus, God’s genuine Messiah, invites us to come home, “learn from me, for…

“What am I supposed to do?” You are a unique combination of personality, experiences, and gifts. Put into practice the design that God has put…

The opposite of “serious” is “superficial.”  We are called to take our life in Christ seriously.  “So, if you’re serious about living this new resurrection…

“Take my yoke upon you” [Matthew 11:29]. The call to follow Jesus is a confrontation with costly grace, grace that breathes a word of forgiveness…

Cheap grace forgoes discipleship, ignores the cross, and diminishes Jesus Christ. Costly grace calls us to follow.  Costly grace is sought again and again.Adapted from “A…

When you put God first in life, and live as if God is truly first, you will become simpler and quieter even if life may,…

When you put God first, you find that, in time, you do a great deal less running after things that do not matter, things that…

When you put God first, you find that, in time, you get rid of unnecessary junk* that most people carry.  There is mental junk, of…

Sooner or later, you must put God first in your life. It need not, perhaps it had better not, be the only thing in your…

“For God alone, my soul in silence waits, from him comes my salvation” [Psalm 62:1]. Oh, ancient singer, you have our attention, and we long…

1-Wisdom nurtured in God’s Word;2-Courage born of Faith in Christ;3-Fellowship developed through Spiritual Adventure; and4-Mystery, the gift of God’s Grand Purpose.  

“Yes” to all that makes us fully alive in Christ.“No” to anything that lures us away from Him.

Saint Francis shuddered when he realized that everything depends on God.   And, if the whole world is in God’s hands, why doesn’t He just drop…

Too much focus on results endangers the life in the Spirit.  Are my prayers answered, is my growth fast enough, do my acts of service…

I will not fear, for You are ever with me, and You will never leave me to face my perils alone.from Thoughts in Solitude by…

Lord, hear my prayer: “Whatever I do today, may it align with your perfect love. If I do this, O, Lord, I have faith that…

The fact is, I desire to follow your will. Yet, at times, I’m not always convinced I am doing so. However, I know this, the…

God wants you to know his will. He doesn’t tease, play games, or withhold his goodness to test your faithfulness or worthiness. God is far…

The fruit of prayerful soul-searching is self-knowledge, not self-justification. We draw to God and see ourselves as sinners. The result is that we cannot condemn…

Spiritual discernment asks us to pay attention to what goes on around us and within us. Attend to scripture, advisors, faithful friends, prayer, and the…

The One who sets the course of this road, and whose entry into it defines the way forward, is the same who walks beside us,…

Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world, stronger than hate, evil, and death? Then you, my friend, are…

Jesus Christ is of no importance if He is not of supreme importance.

Our unlimited God has a communication problem with limited humanity. We find the answer to the problem in Jesus Christ.  God is amazingly like Jesus.

To trust and obey means “pulling the truth revealed to me from above down into the ordinariness of what I am thinking about, talking about,…

Look up, you whose eyes are fixed on this earth. . .Look up, you have turned away from heaven. . .Look up, you whose eyes…

Attend to the prescribed externals such as going regularly to church, and don’t go off the deep end. They are pleasing to God… Nevertheless, we…

For human beings, the spiritual life is no straight line of unimpeded progress. It is, however, by God’s unwavering goodness, always undergirded by grace.From Companions…

It is God’s purpose that we are to be conformed to the image of Christ, who is himself “the image of the invisible God” (Col.…

“Spiritual” is not something we ought to be.  It is something we are.The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard

The whole purpose for which we exist is to be thus taken into the life of God.Mere Christianity by CS Lewis

Two measures of growth: first, in our natural life, we grow in wisdom, responsibility, and maturity. On the mirrored path, our spiritual life, we grow…

Our particular calling in God’s service comes from our response to God’s call to be available.Companions in Christ: Participants Book, Part 4, Gerrit Scott Dawson

In one sense, the story Christianity tells is one that can be so simply told that we find the whole thing on a small Christmas…

Paul Tournier, the great Christian doctor, declares that life, in order to be life, must necessarily be dialogue. . . . The supreme dialogue of…

My heart is steadfast oh God… Because Your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; Your faithfulness extends to the clouds (Psalm 57.7-10 ).

The spiritual life is more often questions in search of answers. God speaks in the questions.  When we investigate the questions, we often find the…

The resurrection does not solve all our problems nor answer all our questions about dying and death. But it does reveal to us that, indeed,…

The power of stories is that they tell us that somehow life adds up.  We believe that the true story of the world is God’s…

Speak Your Word to me, my Lord, your servant is listening. I yearn to hear Your voice and to be transformed by You.[From, “A Guide…

God’s promise: if you listen to my Word, I will answer you. I will not leave you in the darkness of doubt. Always I seek…

What is the depth and quality of your faith commitment? In the last analysis, faith is not a way of speaking or even of thinking;…

Abraham Lincoln’s words in 1861, timely in 2021: We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it…

God’s apparent lack of “restraint” when it comes to creating things is but a symptom of a deeper lack of “restraint” we find in our…

We see deception in our world.  It is not unexpected that we guard ourselves against the truth of the Gospel, afraid the story is too…

Lord, remember your word of promise to your servant in which you have given me hope.  Your promise is my comfort in distress.  Your word…

For the blessing of this home, oh Lord:     for foundations and roof,     for windows and doors,     for strong walls,     and for floors and furnishings.This place…

Father,     Today I have only a moment for fast food.     Today all my moments are fast and frantic.May I, at other times in my busy…

Let us make a meal to remind our family and friends that     life will not always be so burdened,     that their days of exile will…

For those of us who prepare meals,     let us labor with compassion,     with imagination engaged,     knowing that we are cooks in the kitchen,     but we…

May I recall the parable of soil and rags,      soap and water and cleansing. Open my eyes to see     my own faults,     my own weaknesses,    …

O, Lord,     Teach me each day the way of Christ,     That I may better serve those I lead. [Every Moment Holy, Vol. 1]

Our Father in HeavenProtect us from the temptations of earthly fathers.     To be angry, neither smoldering nor shouting,     To be distant, neither relationally nor physically,Our…

Jesus, be ever-present as the mediator     between me and my employer,     between me and my supervisors and coworkers,and in all my dealings with others in…

Oh God, grant that my heart might be ordered aright,knowing that all good service faithfully renderedis first a service rendered to You. Receive my service,that…

We now give thanks to God with the blessings of this day. We praise you, O Father,   for the provisions of food,   and shelter,   and…

If our hearts have already been tempted to believe anything about ourselves or others that does not take into account your creation, your mercy, your…

Oh, child of the living God, what is your father’s greatest desire for you this day? That I should love our Eternal King with all…

Lord, you are equally present in our failures and in our successes, in our sleep and in our wakeful hours, in our tears and in…

A Message for Pentecost Eve It is such a beautiful day. I had a brisk walk this morning, followed by some excellent reading.  Now I…