C S Lewis's Screwtape Letters is one of my favorite books. From time to time I find myself in possession of a letter that appears to be from Screwtape to his nephew, Wormwood, but was not written by Lewis. Below is one of those letters, dealing chiefly with how to neuter a Christian's resolve to pray
Christmas morning has come and gone. Did you have a good Christmas? Did you get everything you wanted? When I think about those questions, I remember the 1983 movie “A Christmas Story,” one the most highly rated and best-loved Christmas movies. In my family, our long tradition was to watch it on Thanksgiving after our …
Outside of community I can go along believing all sorts of nonsense about myself. In community my delusions are quickly stripped away. Let me give you a concrete example of this, not in the context of church, but from my work life. The principle remains the same. It is when we move from the abstract to the concrete that we have any chance to understand ourselves.
The following is derived from a sermon I delivered at Wonderful Mercy Church. You can listen to the full message online. Before reading on, take a moment to read Galatians 5:1, 13-25. The link will take you the New Living Translation, but feel free to use whatever translation you like. When You've read the Galatians …
Has a previously unknown letter from Screwtape to Wormwood come to light? What might the Devil say about spiritual bondage?
The process of spiritual formation, the internal transformation of souls, is a life-long pursuit for Christians and can be a difficult and confusing journey. As with any journey, we need to know two key things: where we are and where we are going. If we do not know where we are now, it may be …
In the beginning the way is broad and easy. The road is smooth and the ascent is barely noticeable. I walk happily and easily along the gentle slopes. I have my pack well-stocked an and on my back. I also have my wooden two-wheeled cart, loaded with my most cherished possessions. Even loaded as heavily …
Have you found that God seems to begin some good work in you only to have it seem to evaporate, to disappear, as if it had never been there at all? He may have begun some emotional healing, restoring some relationship, or bringing some fresh awareness or understanding in your life. Then, some time later you discover that what you thought was being born in you seems to have been illusory. To use the metaphor of grapes growing on a vine, we see the small, round new grapes appear on the vine, but then, as time goes on, instead of maturing to ripeness, the grapes have withered and died.
Here is look at what may have happened.
For many of us, coming to believe in Jesus as Messiah and the son of God was a hard, hard, thing to do. I know it was for me. Indeed, Scripture tells us that we can't come to belief on our own, it is only through God's grace. “For it was only through this wonderful …
At sometime or another, nearly every parent's refrigerator starts to resemble an art gallery. We take the wonderful, if not fully recognizable, artistic renderings our children produce and put them on display on the 'fridge door. But I think my Father in heaven doesn't have much of my artwork on his 'fridge. Why not? Because …
Continue reading "Why God Doesn’t Have My Artwork on His Refrigerator"
Abounding in Love
The Art and Craft of Blogging
The latest news on WordPress.com and the WordPress community.
