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There was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. Luke 19:2-3 I heard it again the other day. I’m too flabby to go to the…
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And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Luke 18:39 I’ve never been comfortable with dancing – either with doing it myself, or with others doing it. Particularly in church, it makes me squirm to see…
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And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Luke 18:38 I’m often asked if I still struggle with an appetite for pills. I can honestly say that God has transformed me so that today I don’t struggle. Today, I want my faith and recovery more than I want to get high.…
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There is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time . . . Luke 18:29-30 My family once went to one of those all-you-can-eat Brazilian steak houses, where I ate to the…
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How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. Luke 18:24-25 In the disaster of my addiction, my personal and professional life was…
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The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 Nearly four years ago, I began writing The Seeds of the Spirit. Almost daily since then, this blog has chronicled my own walk of faith and recovery. It was…
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One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. Luke 18:22 Addiction is characterized by the compulsive repetition of a self-destructive behavior despite negative, painful consequences. In my own life, this has most obviously involved opiate pain medications.…
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Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Luke 18:18 If I were to criticize my own writing on faith and recovery, I think I would perhaps find fault with my emphasis on man’s role over God’s. I write repeatedly about how we must daily abandon our way for his. In reading my…
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Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it. Luke 18:17 My father is a pastor, and so, growing up, I knew that he owned – and was the boss of – our local church. This knowledge gave me a swagger and confidence that…
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I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. Luke 18:14 In jail and recovery meetings, I’ve heard many stories of relapse. They’ve almost all gone something like this: I was doing…
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