One of the often overlooked disciplines of the spiritual life is the discipline of simplicity. Here are 6 steps to help you choose a more austere, perhaps Christ-centered life in the days ahead. For a daily thought about this and other topics, subscribe at branchesblog.com, or follow on Facebook or Instagram. (Did I say that… Continue Reading
https://youtu.be/Q_bodGHiFmc?feature=shared God gives us disciplines, sacraments, and encounters as opportunities to experience His grace. When we do what He tells us to do we experience what He wants us to experience. We call those things “means of grace.” And interestingly enough, at the same time He very often uses us to be a means… Continue Reading
At the root of most of our “hurts, habits, and hang-ups” is an inability or an unwillingness to forgive. Forgiveness is the cornerstone of healing, recovery, restoration. But it is hard to do. Here are some thoughts that might help move you along the path from unforgiving to forgiveness. Forgiveness is not a license. I… Continue Reading
Nothing could be more heart breaking, I imagine, than the estrangement of our children. And yet it happens so many time. I meet couples all of the time that are suffering from separation from their children, sometimes without knowing why. The one thing we cannot do is lose hope. Here are some thoughts about God’s… Continue Reading
How do you connect with your grandkids? How do we talk to the younger generation in general? Here are five things to remember when you are working with the young people in your life. Remember they are people. Remember they have personality. Remember they have parents. (And you are not them.) Remember they are the… Continue Reading
5/8/23 MondayMatters: Testimony. Perhaps the most important words that will ever come out of my mouth is my testimony. When it is done right; centered on Christ, current, all about change, it has the power to change lives for generations to come. Here’s a quick testimony about testimonies. #MondayMatters #takeaminutemakeadifference https://youtu.be/iHFmeGTwzHY Continue Reading
It has become an all too familiar scene but one that never ceases to fill us with amazement; those first responders, seeing the flames or hearing the gunfire, run toward the crisis rather than away from it. We probably first became aware of the phenomena at 9/11 as firefighters and first responders ran up hundreds… Continue Reading
The walk with Jesus is a walk of discipline. That is why we are called disciples. That is why following Him is called discipleship. But discipline is not gritting your teeth and doing what you do not want to do. Discipline is having a heart open to being led by God. It is having a… Continue Reading
It seems we have lost the value of and appreciation for self-discipline. We want it now. We feel we are owed something. We don’t want to sweat. But there is grea power in regaining the art of discipline. https://youtu.be/p5FbE7-3D6Y Also, here’s an invite to the upcoming couples conference. Continue Reading
Just as we are making the final arrangements to be ready to celebrate Christmas, so we can be thinking about the preparations we need to make to create a better, stronger, more joyful walk with God is 2023 than we have ever known before. Today we talk about the things we need to do to… Continue Reading