I remember standing in front of a class of Wheaton students over a decade ago and saying, “Having ‘a personal relationship with Jesus is easy to talk about, but is often the very reality we struggle to step into.” And I found myself saying something similar to a class of seminarians just last week. At… Continue reading Anything But Imaginary
Tag: Confidence
Christ as Our Shield
Yesterday noon found me sitting in a local diner with one of my “girls.” (My "girls” are women who were students of mine at Wheaton College somewhere in the 90’s.) She is not, of course, a girl anymore, but a lovely young woman in her 30’s with a passion for the Lord and compassion for… Continue reading Christ as Our Shield
Double Meanings
We know only three things about her: she was on her 6th man (with whom marriage was apparently not an option), she was at the well with her water jar at high noon, and she was a Samaritan. But I think we can imagine one more thing: she was lonely. Intensely lonely. I have now lived… Continue reading Double Meanings
A Real Battle
A few years ago I found myself having sustained one of those sickening, confusing, fearful spiritual attacks for which one is completely unprepared. I could only describe it as a poisonous arrow…and then I thought of Paul’s “flaming darts of the evil one” at the end of Ephesians. Perhaps Paul was not just painting a nice word… Continue reading A Real Battle
Hidden Freedom (Part 2)
This week we celebrate our country's freedom to act, speak and live as we choose but that does not mean we are truly free. I propose that the most central, albeit hidden, bondage is the captivity of our minds. In my last blog I listed four different kinds of unruly thoughts that can capture my… Continue reading Hidden Freedom (Part 2)
I Will Not Forget These Stories
My teaching colleague and I arrive first in the classroom on this particular morning. She engages many of her students as they shuffle into her World Religions course at a local community college. At one point five beautiful Muslim girls come in together--heads covered with lovely scarves, chattering away to each other and to their… Continue reading I Will Not Forget These Stories
Mary’s Path
Her story began in earnest with a clarion call from an angel. “Don’t be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.” But not too many chapters in, the plot got more complicated. An old man in the temple recognized this unique family for who they were, rejoiced that the Lord has allowed him “to see thy salvation” and then… Continue reading Mary’s Path
Carla Waterman 