Delightsome Land

Desperate for Initiation A man needs to know his name. He needs to know he’s got what it takes. And I don’t mean “know” in the modernistic, rationalistic sense. I don’t mean that the thought has passed through your cerebral cortex and you’ve given it intellectual assent, the way you know about the Battle of Waterloo or the ozone layer — the way most men “know” God or the truths of Christianity. I mean a deep knowing, the kind of knowing that comes when you have been there, entered in, experienced firsthand in an unforgettable way. The way “Adam knew his wife” and she gave birth to a child. Adam didn’t know about Eve; he knew her intimately, through flesh-and-blood experience at a very deep level. There’s knowledge about and knowledge of. When it comes to our question, we need the latter. In the movie Gladiator, set in the second century A.D., the hero is a warrior from Spain called Maximus. He is the commander of the Roman armies, a general loved by his men and by the aging emperor...

Fear grips us whenever we believe that apart from, or in spite of, our best efforts, something undesirable is going to happen and we can’t stop it. Sometimes fear is irrational, and sometimes it’s rational. But no matter what kind of fear it is, it always affects us. Fear is a big deal in the story of us and God. In Scripture, the commandment repeated the most is the commandment to fear not. Someone added these up, and apparently there are 366 “fear nots” in the Bible — one “fear not” for every day of the year — including Leap Year. Plus, there are a lot of related directives such as “Do not be afraid,” “Take courage,” and “Take heart.” The command to “fear not” fills Scripture — and we’ve got to ask why this commandment is so widespread. The answer must be that a lot of us have a lot of fears. Fear is a giant. One of the most common giants that must fall. Fear can taunt us and harm us. Fear can get a foothold in our lives and begin to dominate us. Fear can demoralize us and ultim...

He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken. - Psalm 62:2 This verse is short but oh my does it have so much power. There is a key word that is spoken here that is one to hold on to, the word “alone.” He alone is our rock and salvation — not our family, not our job, not our power or ranking, but God alone.  When I read this passage, the tight grip I have on the cares of life begins to loosen. Even death and life don’t hold the weight they once did as I let this verse soak into my heart and mind. No matter what happens, I will be okay. As a mother, wife and businesswoman, I can tend to allow fear to creep in at times. I feel like if I mess up or don’t work hard enough, the wheels could fall off. I have a firm grip on everything I love the most in fear of losing something. This, in turn, starts a negative cycle that affects the ones closest to me. But God is good, and His promises are true. When I speak these words over and over, my soul fin...

Written as if Jesus Himself is speaking directly to the reader,  J esus Always  invites you into a new way of living—a life of joy. Enjoy this selection of three devotions from the new Jesus Always ! A long-term problem can become an idol. When you are troubled by a situation that just won’t go away, it’s important to monitor your thoughts. An ongoing difficulty can occupy more and more of your thinking, until it looms in idolatrous proportions — casting ugly shadows on the landscape of your mind. When you realize this has happened, confess it to Me. Pour out your feelings as you seek to break free from the hurtful preoccupation. Acknowledge your weakness in the face of this hardship, and humble yourself under My mighty hand. A problem-preoccupation makes you anxious. So I urge you to cast all your anxiety on Me — trusting that I care for you. You may have to do this thousands of times daily, but don’t give up! Each time you cast your worrisome concerns on Me, you are redi...

You did it! Congratulations on finishing the Love Does Challenge! We pray that you've been inspired to go out and love others this month with an audacious love like Jesus!  Remember: love isn't something we do, it's someone we become as we start to live out God’s love for others on a daily basis. So if your journey still feels like a work-in-progress, and five days didn’t seem like long enough, we invite you to dive deeper into the Love Does experience by starting the five-week Bible study. This study is perfect for personal use or for small groups. Why not start a neighborhood group in your home and start loving on the people around you, right where you are? Invite your neighbors over for a Love Does video night! Or recommend the Love Does  study as your next church group experience!  Inside the Love Does study you’ll get: All 5 videos sessions with Bob Goff: 1) I’m With You; 2) Free to Fail; 3) Audacious Love; 4) Be Not Afraid; 5) Follow Me Discussion to...

And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. — Matthew 10:30 He stood well over six feet tall, a towering figure of a man, especially to my petite sixth-grade self. Beyond his height, his every physical detail was — how should I say? — breathtaking. Even at twelve years old, I knew my sixth-grade teacher was no ordinary man. Tanned skin, dark hair, killer smile. Be still my heart. It wasn’t so much his handsomeness that drew me to him. Although, hello. Truth is I became a forever Mr. Cantrell fan for a different reason. For the prior five years of grade school, I’d felt invisible. A no-name girl who’d attended three different schools and drifted in and out of classrooms. I did my schoolwork without fanfare, my awkwardness overshadowing any intelligence or personality prepped to bloom. I was an insecure, invisible girl in an Illinois school filled with hundreds of louder, smarter, cuter kids. But then, sixth grade. And a cute science teacher named Mr. Cantrell. Within the...

Love Does Challenge Day 5 : Put Love Into Action For the past several days, you have been prompted to engage in some very practical activities designed to put love into action. Heretofore, these Love Does Challenge activities have been provided for you. Today, it’s your turn. Consider this question: Which of the world’s problems makes you feel the most overwhelmed because it is so big and complicated? W here are God’s people hurting in the world and what if your next move could be to do something big about it? Your Final Challenge For the next 5 – 10 minutes, use your computer or smartphone to research a problem you think is overwhelming. Jot down some notes on the size and scope of the problem as well as anything you discover about how to help. Then cook up the biggest, most audacious scheme you can think of to help be part of the solution to this problem. Now, go and share with a friend the problem and the audacious solution. Then, together, brainstorm what your “next step...

I’m trying to figure out whether or not we should go to Moab this year. And right now, it’s not really clear. For the past seven years a group of guys have made a sort of pilgrimage to the deserts of Moab, Utah. We go in late April or early May, about the time we cannot bear the cold of Colorado for one more weekend. It’s warm in Moab by then — usually in the eighties — and we spend four or five days rock climbing, mountain biking, and goofing around. A classic guys’ trip. Camping. No showers. Playing Frisbee. Swimming naked. Great campfire stories. It’s a trip that has become an icon of our fellowship as men. A highlight of our year for sure. But this year’s trip isn’t looking good. Several of the guys who usually come can’t make it. There’s only one weekend available in the calendar, and it’s earlier than we like to go. We are, all of us, really, really busy. It looks like Moab is just going to be tanked. By default. I’m praying about it, trying to get some guidance. My first qu...

“ But the wisdom that is from above is the first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy . – James 3:17 NKJV Consider this: God is perfect. Eternal. Almighty. He knows everything about everyone ( Ps. 139:1-4 ). On the other hand, we are imperfect. Sinful. Our lives are but a vapor ( James 4:14 ). The more we learn, the more we realize we don’t know. So why in the world wouldn’t we align our plans with God’s purpose? We tend to think we know enough to make our own way in life. But because God actually cares, get over that tendency. He is God. You are His. He provides the resources you need to accomplish His purpose. Isaiah 41:10 records God’s assurance to His people: “ Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand .” God’s purpose for you is not mysterious – see Micah 6:6-8 . T...