As we draw closer to God’s heart, the journey of sanctification is more likely to engage our hearts when we realize the much bigger love story of what God wants in our relationship with Him — a sacred romance with us. Appreciating his unending love can arouse our hearts to participate more in the joy of sharing his love with others. We are part of something much bigger — the greatest love story ever told.
Read MoreSanctification is the journey of being drawn closer to God. It is not an accomplishment we achieve on our own. The Holy Spirit is the key actor. So what is our part in the process of sanctification?
Read MoreThink of your life with God as a journey. Your ultimate destination is the Celestial City in eternity. In this life, what’s the next step you aspire to in being drawn closer to God? In Paul’s terms, what more of Christ’s full stature will you reach for? In Luther’s terms, where would you like to see your new nature in Christ become stronger and what of your old sinful nature would you like drowned out?
Read More“Spiritual Growth” is a long-used category in my Lutheran experience, at least in the Walther League of my youth. But “Growth in the Spirit” is a totally new category not yet on the radar of most pastors. At least that is my experience in trying to promote “Thriving” or “Growing” in the Spirit. “Closeness to […]
Read MoreOver my years of membership in the American Psychological Association, I watched my division of industrial and organizational psychology spin off a new specialty called sports psychology. Those psychologists focus on helping athletes to reach peak performance. They explore mental practices that allow an athlete to squeeze out a little more speed or increase endurance […]
Read MoreI recently talked with my neighbor about the frustrations he is experiencing at a prominent mainline church where he has been an active member and leader for many years. Many such once-famous and now-mostly-empty mainline churches are spread across the country. What I noticed is how frequently he recalled great preachers of the past and […]
Read MoreHow do we get more of the Holy Spirit’s influence in our inner being? The Spirit works at his own initiative. Yet there are certain activities we can undertake on our own to open ourselves more fully to his work. These historically are called spiritual disciplines. Forty years ago, Richard Foster recast disciplines for Protestants […]
Read MoreWhen you celebrated the Christ child and started the New Year, did you have any primary experiences of the Spirit at work in your life? Did you see the Spirit touching someone else’s life? The Holy Spirit is God at work touching hearts and then moving people into action. The Spirit’s hallmark is stirring up […]
Read MoreIn the GROWTH practices I have identified, O is the first stretch practice. The six practices are Go to God in worship and prayer, Receive God’s Word for you, Opt for self-denial, give Witness to your Spiritual experiences, Trust God in a new venture, Humble yourself before God. In my personal walk with the Lord, […]
Read MoreThe apostle Paul had a dramatic experience of God and also a slow, over-the-years formation by the Holy Spirit. The dramatic one is his well-known conversion on his journey to Damascus in Acts 9. The slower formation, we know little about. It started with the three years he spent in the desert after his conversion. […]
Read MoreThe fourth in the GROWTH practices is to give Witness to your Spiritual experiences. The six are: Go to God in Worship and Prayer, Receive God’s Word for You, Opt for Self-denial, give Witness to Your Spiritual Experiences, Trust God in a New Venture, Humble yourself before God. A spiritual experience in your spiritual life […]
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