As a kid walking the toy aisles at Kmart, I would play with the Magic 8 Ball. Maybe you remember it; it was a black liquid filled 8-ball that could tell the future. You could ask questions like, “Will I get married? Will I be successful? What kind of job will I have when I grow up?” and receive responses such as, “Without a doubt. Outlook not so good. Reply hazy, try again.” As I think back to som...  Read More

We often think our success is measured by how much money we have in our savings account, the car we drive, the house we live in, and even the position we hold at work. However, at the end of the day it's not what we think! James 1:9-11 tells us:“Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass awa...  Read More

One of my favorite Johnny Cash songs is “I walk the Line.” The song is about fidelity. Granted, the context is different, but the intent and meaning are the same: to be true, don’t falter. Verse 6 paints a picture of what James is addressing in his letter, and that is obedience.One of the things I love about living in Michigan is “Michigan summers.” Even though we never lived in the state while I ...  Read More

Let’s do a mental picture—after I give you the prompt, close your eyes and imagine what I am about to describe to you. Imagine that you are an elder, by elder I mean you are the oldest living person, in a village thousands of years ago. There are people who are in charge of running the village and dealing with all sorts of conflicts. However, they never ask you for your wisdom that you have accumu...  Read More

At first glance, this passage may sound misleading. The duty of every Christian is not to have a smile upon their face at all times and pretend that everything in life is always hunky-dory. If we acted that way, being a Christian would seem unattainable, contradictory, and we would be disingenuous to the world around us. As James talks about trials here, he is most likely referring to external aff...  Read More

Moments of happiness...a wedding, a game-winning-shot, an ice cream sundae, a warm beach in January, your kids coming home from college, a pay raise, seeing a high school friend, an intriguing book, your first home, your first baby, your first job...have a way of defining our lives. The problem is what happens in the opposite experiences of life...those experiences that are filled with pain and st...  Read More