Optimism: A Wonderful Paradox
There’s a kind of prayer that doesn’t require silence or structure. It doesn’t follow a guide or wait for the right moment. It just happens — while you’re driving, making coffee, walking the dog. It’s unfiltered, constant conversation. And somehow, in the middle of the ordinary, you realize you’re not alone. Your whole life becomes prayer — unpolished, unplanned and full of God.
Created for His Presence
We weren’t created for shallow moments or vague spiritual vibes. We were created to know the Presence of God — not as a concept, but as a person.
Jesus’ Family Was More Dysfunctional Than Yours
Matthew’s Gospel doesn’t shy away from Jesus’ messy family tree. His genealogy includes adulterers, outsiders and deeply flawed people — names like Tamar, Rahab, David and Bathsheba. In a world where ancestry was your résumé, Matthew highlights dysfunction on purpose. Why? To remind us that God works through broken families and broken people. If Jesus’ family was a mess, there’s hope for the rest of us too.
Endearments of Morning
I sit on my bed, thinking about light and how I can describe hope in words.
Another gift, how morning comes. The house still, birds chirping outside, swooping to drink and dunk their beaks in the water bowl. September air in northern California—crisp, with a hint of cold on my skin when I push out the windows.
The sun's light blankets one tree branch in the backyard, the other in shade from a taller tree’s branches overhead. Sunlight and shadow. Undulations of light in stillness. The light moves, and the earth rotates.
How We Embody Joy
Joy blooms uniquely in each life — quiet and subtle in some, exuberant and radiant in others. Like an invasive seed, joy resists control, spreading beyond our expectations and into the lives of those around us. Whether shaped by culture, personality or faith, joy stirs a longing for something eternal, reminding us that her laughter of the heart is not ours to tame but to share.
Gratitude And Optimism May Extend Your Life
Practicing gratitude and optimism might be more powerful than you think. Recent studies from Harvard show that these attitudes can contribute to a longer life, just like exercise or regular health checkups. For those of us navigating our later years, embracing a mindset of thankfulness and positivity could be as crucial as any prescription — helping to enhance not only our longevity but our quality of life as well.
Marvin Olasky’s Books For August
One of the many things I learned from Tim Keller is that Jesus does not make a problem go away: He makes it not so important. For Christians who are dying, the anticipation of good things to come can overwhelm the bad thing that’s happening. Sometimes we pray for a physical healing and it miraculously happens, but we might also pray that hope exceeds hurt.
The End We Know
Life brings about chaos, and it's easy to get caught up in the overwhelm of it all. But there's a simple reassurance worth remembering: ‘You know this is all going to be okay, don’t you?’