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Christianity is a call to die. Jesus not only saves us from the penalty and power of sin, He also saves us from the presence of sin in an ongoing process of teaching us to die to self and find life in Him. Transformation begins with a root of fearing God- recognizing that He is worthy to rule and reign and have His way in my life. Fear of God leads to a deepening humility as I see Him rightly and then see myself rightly as the subject of my King. As I humble myself daily I learn to surrender- to crawl back on the altar as a living sacrifice, day by day. This continual self-sacrifice demands perseverance through a lifetime of unanswered questions and suffering and the high and costly call of true discipleship. And finally, transformation bears the fruit of true gratitude - the sacrifice of praise - contentment in His presence no matter our present circumstances. Following Jesus is not an easy path. It is a hard fight - a good fight. A hard and good and worthy journey. {Reflections f...

I’ve been listening to Eric Metaxas’ great book Seven Women and the Secret of Their Greatness. Last night as I listened to the chapter about Corrie Ten Boom, one of the accounts hit me deeply this week of Thanksgiving. Corrie and her sister had been moved into a different barracks at the German concentration camp where they were imprisoned for hiding Jews during WWII. They realized that not only  was the straw on the beds rancid, it was also infested with fleas. As Corrie struggled with anger at the continued cruel and dehumanizing treatment they were facing, her sister Betsie reminded her of the verse they had read and discussed that morning from their treasured smuggled Bible. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 It was God’s will for them to give thanks in all circumstances. Betsie challenged Corrie to give thanks for everything - including the fleas. Corrie struggled against this but eventually did ...