Hot Tea and the Holy Spirit

When tragedy takes over the national news, Facebook lights up with the offering of prayer.  This response angers some. Many are quick to ridicule the prayerful as cowardly and feckless, calling for action over prayer. If prayers worked, they say, we wouldn't have these problems.  What's a Christian to do? PRAY. Do not believe for one second that prayer is synonymous with inactivity. Prayer is where we start.  We must pray for the families of those involved. We must pray for our own families. We must pray for our country and for the world. We must ask for comfort and for the peace that passes all understanding, but we must not stop there.  We must earnestly ask God how we can affect change. Maybe that means making sacrifices. Maybe that means we reevaluate our stances on things. Maybe that means we makes some calls and take some stands. I'm not here to tell you what that means. I'm here to tell you to pray about it.  Really, legitimately pray.  Don't just sa...

"Be the joyful one," I tell myself as I amble from the locker room to the childcare-pickup at my gym. These four words have become my mantra for this 50-yard journey past the fittest of the fit. It began one day when I could feel the comparison monster coming out to play and my insecurities rising. I felt like a champ during my workout, but as I progressed past the impressively muscled, zero-percent-bodyfat contingent of the gym, my strut subsided to a shuffle.  As I caught my confidence and countenance shift, I considered my insecurities. Why was I affected like this? The answer, I believe, lies in identity.  I am a relatively fit person. Nutrition, wellness, and physical activity are very important to me . . . but so is dessert. And couch-potatoing. Suffice it to say that while a lot of the people on this particular fitness floor look like they are prepping for a Baywatch-era Sports Illustrated cover shoot, I do not. And yet, fitness is part of an identity I have always att...

I don't know about you, but there are a lot of lies I buy into on a pretty regular basis.  These little gems are so incredibly tempting to believe because they are specially and specifically crafted for me by the master manipulator, the Father of Lies himself. You see, Satan cannot truly create, he can only twist and contort. And that's what a lie is: a truth contorted. In fact, if you think you've never been entangled in spiritual warfare, ask yourself, What lies have I been believing? Here are a few of mine: Lie #1: I am a horrible friend.  Truth: I drop the ball in my friendships sometimes. I care deeply about others, but I'm not always the best at showing it. I can be flighty and busy and self-consumed, and I wish I was better at meeting people's needs and being God's hands and feet. I am constantly inspired by and learning from others in this area. That's the thing though: I want to be better, and with the help of the Holy Spirit I will be. A truly horr...