(This short series, previewing my upcoming book, talks about how God changed the trajectory of my life during my college years. Earlier entries are:Your “Success” – NOT God’s Plan? (my story)800 Youth in Wild Friendship with God (my story, pt. 2)Pulled into the Wilderness (my story, pt. 3) So it was, that while Jesus grew […]
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Pulled into the Wilderness (my story, pt. 3)
What’s the evidence of the work of God in someone’s life? For the demoniac of Gadera, it was that he was clothed and in his right mind. For John the Baptist, it was that the heir of the high priest chose to live in the desert with honey and locusts in his scraggly beard. God’s glory can be displayed in the chaotic becoming decent as well as the polished going wild. In college, my sanctification mean going outside the four walls of my room and looking into the full moon. It was trading my prayer closet for a prayer pasture. It meant becoming less civilized, not more.
800 Youth in Wild Friendship with God (my story, pt. 2)
American evangelical Christianity hasn’t historically emphasized pilgrimages. It’s a practice as distant from the minds of young Christians as the far-off places that men in shaved heads and sandals visit. But the Ramp somehow felt like a pilgrimage–and I don’t know if anything could have prepared me for what I experienced at that radical ministry in an otherwise unassuming corner of rural Alabama.
Your “Success” – NOT God’s Plan? (my story)
I still remember getting the acceptance letter to the Georgia Institute of Technology. The large envelope’s black and yellow facade shone like a golden ticket. Known as the foremost engineering school in the state, it was the natural next step in the plan I had for my life. The vision from my childhood was becoming […]
How to Pray Away Fear and Timidity (from my book, Your Will Be Done)
I looked around the restaurant, and my attention was drawn to a South Asian man with a cushioned neck brace. Somehow, I immediately knew that I was to pray for him, and no, it was not from the comfort of my own seat…
Day 5. Faith. [Excerpt from my new book]
Hebrews 11:1, 6 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see… And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. A chair. That’s the image I […]
The Synergy of Praying Together // 4
A few days ago I was sitting in the living room, having my personal quiet time with God. My roommate walked unannounced and said, “Hey let’s pray for T______ and his team.” He wasn’t even part of either of our organizations; nevertheless we spent the next five minutes in prayer. At the end, I was […]
Tears that Touch God // 3
How often do we coldly entreat God, “Fix it! Fix it!” His reply is, “Feel it! Feel it!” If your prayer doesn’t move you, it certainly won’t move God. I remember it vividly. About a decade ago I was several years into my struggle with the chronic pain in my legs that limited my physical […]
Prayer is more than what you think // 2
Let’s talk Jesus, shall we? Jesus came between sinful man and holy God and made the ultimate intercession on the cross. He pleaded God’s case to man, calling everyone to repent and walk in love. He pleaded man’s case to God, asking for us to be forgiven in our ignorance. In the end, he bore […]
Worship & Your New Prayer-adigm // 1
Bill Johnson said, “If you gave me one hour to pray, I would spend 45 minutes of it in praise and thanksgiving.” Posture is all-important in prayer! Always begin with praise. The paradoxical thing is that a good prayer meeting can’t start with prayer; has to begin with worship. Psalms 100:4 Enter his gates with […]