So, How Have YOU Been?

What I did on my summer blogging sabbatical

“Rest and be thankful.” ― William Wordsworth First, I want to thank all of you who read these words of mine — and the thoughts that inspire them. And I want to welcome you to the third year of Ontozoan — One Real Life. As some of you may know, I took a three-month hiatus […]

Re-post: How Cultivating Resilience Can Save Your Life

Suicide sucks -- ask the ones who've been there. Oh wait.

“No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.” -1 Corinthians 10:13 (MSG) […]

Re-Post: Stay Hungry

Put your desire to work

“A worker’s appetite works for him; his mouth urges him on” — Proverbs 16:26 (ESV) If you follow current events, you know the economic news is mixed.  On one hand, the price of crude oil  has dropped to its lowest in a decade or more, making a gallon of gas much more affordable.  On the other […]

Re-post: What Good Is Being Good?

On law, grace, and how they fit together

“Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to […]

The Importance of Finishing Well

Wise King Solomon fell prey to folly - Here's how you can avoid it

“Well begun is half done.” – Aristotle Throughout my life, I’ve found that I begin new tasks with great gusto. This is a good thing, and I have learned to take advantage of my enthusiasm to create momentum that will help carry me through the eventual letdown. The particulars vary from project to project, but […]

Good Friday

Consider the grace and the gift of God - you have a decision to make

Today is Good Friday, the day Christians commemorate Jesus’ atoning sacrifice on behalf of sinful humanity. As he hung on the cross, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” These words are the first verse of Psalm 22 — a psalm written by King David of Israel over 500 years […]

Emptying Myself

Is it possible to have spiritual colic?

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in […]

Re-post: Hanging Tough

How to weather a setback

“Everybody hurts.” -R.E.M. Whether it is an injury or illness, getting passed over at work, a failed relationship or the loss of a loved one, each one of us will experience pain and hardship. The question for each of us then is: What will I do when it’s my turn? Here’s what I have found […]

Rediscovering Hope Through the Power of Forgiveness

Gentry and Hadley Eddings forgave the man who caused the deaths of their sons

“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” – Jesus  in Mark 11:25 (NIV) I had the privilege recently of interviewing my friend, Gentry Eddings, Worship Pastor of Forest Hill Church’s Ballantyne Campus, and soon Campus Pastor for that […]

Leadership: What Difference Does It Make?

When choosing a leader, keep the following in mind

“When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.” – Proverbs 29:2 (NIV) All the elections in the news have me thinking again about leadership. You may love politics and all that goes with the process — I know I used to. Or, you may have developed the equivalent of […]