We race and scramble to keep up with the pace of our world, to keep up with the trends, to keep up with the latest gadgets so we will not stand out. We do not like being different because we fear being alone. Fear drives us to the noise and the crowds. But if we want to grow in our spiritual lives, we have to find a way to make room for distance from the noise.

When I started my life as a God-follower, I had no idea what it meant to be a true follower of Jesus Christ. I wanted instant success.  I wanted someone to sprinkle magic Christian pixie dust on me and let me get started.  Maybe you did, too.  But it does not work that way.  

Wilt Chamberlain was a brilliant basketball player, but terrible at shooting free throws from the foul line. Why? He was just too strong.

We can’t seem to like people who don’t look, think, act, and speak like we do. What if you changed yourself instead of trying to change others? Maybe together you could move closer to God.

What’s in a name? “Michael” has a value of 101. So do: Garcia, at and Asia. But the emperor Nero’s name had a numerical value of 666. Was he the beast in the book of Revelation?

What’s in a vaccine? Life-giving protection from disease or the dreaded mark of the beast? A little history of the book of Revelation will help sort out its true meaning.

Things that are unknown, things in the shadows, things that appear fierce and ferocious, things that are large and powerful – these things can make us feel overwhelmed. But how often are those things we fear really not nearly as large, powerful, or scary as we believed them to be?

Remember playing Monopoly? Were you crushed when you got the card that said “Do not pass GO”? In the book of Acts, Paul talks to some disciples who don’t understand what happened when they were baptized. They think they’re done — ready to pass GO. He tells them baptism is only the beginning of living a new life in Christ.

What guides you through the darkest night? Is it a star? Long ago, wise men followed an unusually bright star to a surprise ending in Bethlehem that was really just the beginning of changing the world through love.

The classic film starring Judy Garland was a huge hit in 1944. “Meet Me in St. Louis” revolves around multiple love stories. It’s a good reminder that each of us should be continually thinking and acting out of love. Good works and good intentions come to nothing unless they are based in love.