Are you reading the menu or enjoying the meal?
By Sam Williamson. A few years ago, a client of mine visited us for a series of meetings. He asked for a restaurant recommendation, and I suggested The Gandy Dancer, my favorite restaurant. The very next day he came to my office and raved about the restaurant. He was going to recommend it to every one of his colleagues. Smiling, I asked what he’d ordered. “Nothing,” he said, because he’d...
Read MoreChristianity: Will-Power or Desire-Power?
I know a man, a really good man, whose life is filled with drudgery. He dutifully cares for his wife and family; he dutifully pours out his life in service; and he dutifully attends to work. He resists opposing desires—like wanting to dodge a service he hates, or aching to “take it easy”—with willpower. His life, he feels, is dull and empty. His life, he says, is “dreariness and...
Read MoreHow Does God View Us?
There’s a story about the artist Michelangelo who passed by a block of marble somewhere. He stopped transfixed and said, “I see an angel in there. Quick, bring me my chisel.” This story illustrates how God sees his children. Many believers I know primarily see the unfinished parts of their lives. It doesn’t matter if we are in grade school, High School, College, or in middle age. We see...
Read MoreHearing God and Reflection
Thirty years ago I lived and worked in London with several other men. We were involved in campus ministry and the charismatic renewal. One housemate—let’s call him Tom—spent a couple hours in discussion with Rev. John Stott. When Tom returned from his visit, he was incredulous. During Tom’s meeting, they discussed prayer. Stott claimed that his most significant times of prayer involve...
Read More