St John of the Cross is famous for a lot but primarily for his work The Dark Night of the Soul. The title by itself brings forth thoughts and images. It describes the work of God upon the soul – not through joy and light, but through sorrow and darkness. The concept of the “dark…
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Devotion
“Everyone paints devotion according to his own passions and fancies,” writes Francis De Sales, which means we tend to emphasize the doing of certain spiritual disciplines with which we are comfortable while neglecting others. I am not bothered by that, as long as we’re not ignoring God’s voice. Paul proclaims, “Love can do no wrong.” De…
Disciples
I read recently that the word “disciple” occurs 269 times in the New Testament where “Christian” appears only three times and was first introduced to refer precisely to the original twelve. Perhaps we should spend a little more time with what it means to be a disciple. It has been suggested that Christ’s initial commission…
Good Question
A sixty year old man who was going to prison for a long time asked me last week, “Why do so many people who come out of prison talk about God so much? Do they make you go to church and become “born again?” In fifteen years of counseling people about what to expect…
Tough and Tender
There are some days you wake-up and are really glad to be alive. Today is one of those days. There are those who believe that to be a follower of Christ you must be a weak and compliant. A former football player doesn’t fit the image. But being tough, even tough-minded, and being tenderhearted are…