When I started working at YouVersion, I was surprised by how often people asked me a simple question: “What’s your word for the year?” While it might being a familiar practice to you or in other Christian spacaes, I had never really heard of it before. I wasn’t someone who made New Year’s resolutions, and honestly, I felt hesitant to participate in something that felt more like a trend than a spiritual discipline. Scripture doesnt’ comman us to choose a word each January, aft

C.S. Lewis once wrote, “Actually, it seems to me that one can hardly say anything either bad enough or good enough about life.” The journey of being human twists and turns between delight and misery, joy and pain. We run down the road as fast as we can, all the while hoping the trip doesn’t end any time soon. The new year is a natural time to reflect on the year that has been. All I can say about my year is that it has been unexpected, but when I reflect, I realize I’ve never

While studying the topic of spiritual gifts this week, I stumbled upon a curious path and thought I would share my findings. Probably, when you think of spiritual gifts, accounting is not the first one that jumps to mind. I promise you that no one gets into ministry because they have a burning passion for budgets and spreadsheets. Still, as I said in a lecture to some college ministry students a few years ago at Oklahoma Christian University, "You can’t do any more ministry t

I recently watched the new Fantastic Four movie with my family. Compared to some of the recent Marvel movies, this one was good, and I enjoyed it. Beyond the cinematic entertainment, the film also carries a fascinating moral dilemma worth exploring. I think I can say without spoilers that the movie’s premise revolves around one ethical decision: would you sacrifice your baby son to save the earth? The plot is reminiscent of the old philosophical riddle about having five adult