Confessions of a Recovering Perfectionist
Hi, I’m Raphael, and I’m a recovering perfectionist. I’ve been a perfectionist for as long as I’ve lived.
“Lovable!”
That exclamation came from my daughter as she got ready one morning. I didn’t know what she meant. Then she tapped her shirt, a hand-me-down from a cousin. Across the front was that word: “Lovable.” I gave her a big hug, and she smiled with pure joy. “You are lovable!” I echoed. Her smile grew even bigger, if that was possible, as she skipped away, repeating the word over and over again.
I’m hardly a perfect father. But that moment was perfect. In that spontaneous, beautiful interaction, I glimpsed in my girl’s radiant face what receiving unconditional love looked like: It…
Pray First
We all know people who need a relationship with Jesus. But we may secretly
History’s Most Scandalous Dinner Party
Science tells us that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. And today on Discover the Word, we continue the study of one of history’s most scandalous dinner parties and the opposite forces colliding in this incident found in Luke chapter 7. Join the conversation today on Discover the Word!
Get Moving! (1)
In the matter of determination. The Spirit of Jesus is put into me by way of the atonement by the Cross of Christ. I then have to build my thinking patiently to bring it into perfect harmony with my Lord. God will not make me think like Jesus— I have to do it myself. I have to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). “Abide in Me”— in intellectual matters, in money matters, in every one of the matters that make human life what it is. Our lives are not made up of only one neatly confined area.
My Friend Is In God’s Hands
Yen* and I walked down a narrow alley in silence. A few days earlier, Yen had sent me a text message: “I want to go to this clinic where you can check for AIDS…”
Quieting the Critic
I work with a team to put on an annual community event. We spend eleven months plotting many details to ensure the event’s success. We choose the date and venue. We set ticket prices. We select everything from food vendors to sound technicians. As the event approaches, we answer public questions and provide directions. Afterward we collect feedback. Some good. Some that is hard to hearand more details are available to the public, our team hears excitement from attendees and also fields complaints. The negative feedback complaints can be is discouraging and sometimes tempts us to give up.
Nehemiah had critics…
3 Tips for Handling Conflicts from the Trump-Kim Summit
So, the big day finally arrived. Yesterday (12 June) the world stopped as US president Donald J Trump met with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong Un to hash out their plans for world peace.
Jesus Came To Save The Oppressed And The Oppressor
Who did Jesus come to save? Today on Discover the Word, the group reveals the scandal of Jesus’s mission. He didn’t just come for the broken, the outcast, and the oppressed, but He came to also save the oppressor and all those who don’t think they need a Savior. Tune in as the group continues their study of Luke chapter […]
Getting There (3)
. . . come, follow Me —Luke 18:22
Where our individual desire dies and sanctified surrender lives. One of the greatest hindrances in coming to Jesus is the excuse of our own individual temperament.…
Humble Love
When Benjamin Franklin was a young man he made a list of twelve virtues he desired to grow in over the course of his life. He showed it to a friend, who suggested he add “humility” to it. Franklin liked the idea. He then added some guidelines to help him with each item on the list. Among Franklin’s thoughts about humility, he held up Jesus as an example to emulate.
Jesus shows us the ultimate example of humility. God’s Word tells us, “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God,…
Trump-Kim Summit: Real Peace or Fake News?
Today (June 12), the tiny island-state of Singapore hosted one of the most historic events of our generation—the summit between the president of the United States of America (US), Donald J Trump, and his counterpart from North Korea, Kim Jong Un.
Getting There (2)
They said to Him, ’Rabbi . . . where are You staying?’ He said to them, ’Come and see’ —John 1:38-39
Where our self-interest sleeps and the real interest is awakened. “They . . . remained with Him that day . . . .” That is about…
Jesus… At The Center Of A Scandal
It seems like there’s a new scandal grabbing the headlines every week. And while these hot news items usually involve someone who’s up to no good, today on Discover the Word we’ll be discussing a case in which Jesus found Himself at the center of a scandal. Tune in today right here on Discover the Word!
Called by Name
Advertisers have concluded that the most attention-grabbing word that viewers react to is their own name. Thus a television channel in the UK has introduced personalized advertisements with their online streaming services.
We might enjoy hearing our name on television, but it doesn’t mean much without the intimacy that comes when someone who loves us says our name.
Mary Magdalene’s attention was arrested when, at the tomb where Jesus’s body had been laid after He was crucified on the cross, He spoke her name (John 20:16). With that single word, she turned in recognition to the Teacher whom she loved and followed,…
