Sick for God—Two2Grow, June 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. — Matthew 5:6 NIVHave you ever been really sick?I once was leading a seminar for church leaders in Africa when I drank some contaminated water. I became so sick that I could hardly stand. When we are that sick, the only thing we want is to get well. I didn’t care if someone offered me ...  Read More

Get the Timing Right—Two2Grow, June 5 You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come. John 7:8 NIVTiming is everything!We know from everyday life that if you get the timing wrong, things go wrong. In everything from cooking and driving to gardening and sports, a right action at the wrong time can prove disastrous. Think of planting seeds during a...  Read More

Talk About Privilege—Two2Grow, June 4 Call to me, and I will answer you; I will tell you wonderful and marvelous things that you know nothing about. Jeremiah 33:3 GNBHave you ever met someone you thought was important—or in some way “out of your league”—and then been surprised that they were willing to give you their phone number?Or sent an email to someone in a position of authority and actually ...  Read More

Fear God, Fear Nothing Else— Two2Grow, June 3 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death. Proverbs 14:27 NIVMy spiritual mother is an eighty-year-old Kenyan woman of God. One of her favorite songs has this part in it that she often reminds me of:Fear him, you saints, and you will thenhave nothing else to fear;make serving him your sole delight,your wants ...  Read More

Keep It Safe by Giving It Away—Two2Grow, June 2 “Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” 2 Timothy 1:14 NIVWhen I was in junior high school, we went on a family vacation to Italy and visited St. Mark’s Square, famous not just for its spectacular buildings but also for the many pickpockets who prey on tourists. We had been warned,...  Read More

A Different Ending – Two2Grow, June 1 “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” John 11:4 (NIV)Have you ever felt as if God has forgotten you and that the prayers you prayed have gone unanswered? We have all been there. Mary and Martha certainly must have felt that way when their brother died. Even though they sent word to Jesus...  Read More

"He must increase, but I must decrease." John 3:30 NKJV“Sir, how tall do you think you are?” The officer looked up from examining my driver’s license renewal application. She had spotted a mistake. I had misplaced a number, so instead of indicating that I was 6 feet tall, I claimed to be 6 inches tall! We had a good laugh.As I left the office, I thought of John the Baptist. He had an incredible mi...  Read More

Submit Your Problems to God – Two2Grow, May 30 “By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. 'This is a remote place,' they said, “and it’s already very late. Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”” Mark 6:35-36 NIVA guest post by Josephine Stenhammar I am sure many of us are familiar with the...  Read More

“Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.” Luke 5:18–19 NIVChristian relationships are absolutely essential for success in life. At some point...  Read More

You Don’t Have to Live with Regrets—Two2Grow, May 28 “But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’” Mark 16:7 NIVRegrets are part of life. Often, we cannot escape the remorse of having made the wrong choice and wondering what would have happened if we had acted differently. Yet what we do with our regrets can affect our...  Read More

Power in Not Knowing — Two2Grow, May 27 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:7–8 NIVIt is very hard to be in a place where you don’t know what to do or how long...  Read More

Make Room for Suddenly — Two2Grow, May 26 "Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting." Acts 2:2 NIVSuddenly marks the key moment in the book of Acts; the disciples waiting for the promise of the Spirit in the Upper Room experienced God’s sudden move that changed history forever.You can find yourself caught between a rock...  Read More