Monthly Archives: February 2014

Of Birds, Hope, and Ten-Year Landmarks: Why You Can Rejoice in the Storm

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cardinal

I saw a date in the margin of my Bible this morning that made me start—2/26/04. It wasn’t just the date that took me by surprise, but the realization that it has been exactly ten years since that day.

I remember where I was when I wrote that date—on the top bunk in a guest room in Bowie, Texas.

I remember the verse I read just before I wrote that date. (I don’t actually have to remember that one—it’s right there in the margin of my Bible. But I remember it anyway.) Psalm 86:4, “Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.”

I remember what I did after I read that verse and wrote it in my journal. I stepped outside the guest house with a spiral notebook and sat on the back stoop to write an article for the magazine I was editing at the time. The article appeared in the June/July ’04 issue of Stepping in the Light, and it was titled “Sing, Little Bird!” The article provides some insight into that day: Continue reading →

And the Verse Is for You

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Bible

I don’t generally read my Bible standing in the stall of a public restroom, but I did on one occasion.

I was in sixth grade, and my family was at a conference at Park Meadows Baptist Church (a church that would later become our church home). After one of the sessions, I asked Pastor Davis to sign my Bible. He did, and when he handed it back to me, he said, “And the verse is for you.”

My Bible had many signatures in the front flyleaf. Many of those signatures had Scripture references with them—presumably the life verses of the signers. Sometimes when I was bored, I would even look up some of the references. But, to that point, no one had told me the verse was for me.

Suddenly, I sensed an urgency to know what this verse said. I thanked Pastor Davis, tucked my Bible under my arm, and made my way to privacy—the ladies room!

Without even looking, I still remember what verse it was: Continue reading →

8 Confessions of a Type A Perfectionist

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For a perfectionist, particularly a type A perfectionist, the word excellence has a nice ring to it—a seductive ring.

You say I should pursue excellence? Sure! I’d be glad to. In fact, I’ll do more. I’ll insist on excellence—at every level, in every realm.

Yes, for me, excellence easily becomes a trap. What should be a quest to bring glory to the Lord by striving for excellence turns into a quest for personal glory by insisting on perfection.

And that’s just the beginning! For the past several weeks, I’ve been jotting down observations of what exactly it means for me to turn excellence into idolatry.

Confession is good for the soul…and perhaps helpful to others with a similar bent. So here it goes: Continue reading →