What sets you apart? What makes you an individual? What is the basis for your existence? These are all ways we tend to define “identity,” that thing that we hold so dear. It’s the most personal thing about us. We like to call it the sum of everything we are and the difference between us […]
Gospel
Bring Out Your Dead
One of the most difficult things anyone can do before they die is admitting they were wrong about things. We all do it, right? You make a math error in class or in your checkbook, or you misread a bill and pay it late. You’re repairing a car part and misplace a screw. Anything. Small […]
Deep Valleys
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the [valley of the shadow of death (KJV)] I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a […]
Growth in the Spirit: Roots and Shoots
When a seed finally receives enough warmth and water, it can finally start growing, but when it does, it always grows in two directions. It grows shoots and roots. The little stem pops out from the ground, beneath a surface that appears only one-sided. While we admire the outward beauty and fragility, the leaves absorbing […]
Michael William Nichols 