January 25

His Peace Amid Procrastination

Those who love Your law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble.

Psalm 119:165 (NAS)



I may not be the king, but I am a prince of procrastination. I sit at my messy desk in a dark room illumined by a dim lamp and Windows XP. The whole room is paper and boxes, books and folders and stack upon stack. Once again, I have let things go. Yes, they’ve gone a little too far.

I am burning the midnight oil and suffering through computer SNAFUs and late-night, slow-brain disease. It’s the last day to file my income tax, so here I am doing the last of 10 tax returns—for my parents, my son, my family partnership and myself. Today they’re in the mail or on the wire and as I finish up I’m wondering how Mr. Mom will handle the two kids in the morning and prepare a lesson for the marriage class tomorrow evening.

I need help, but I’ve been too busy to ask. I am like Martha—busy and active and yet so unproductive it seems—when in reality, my reality, I need to be more like Mary—sitting at my Master’s feet. Listening, asking, considering His ways—moving slower, surer, more confident … in Him.


LORD, I am sorry. I have been slow to open Your word, slow to consider Your chosen path. It’s late and amid my chaos and tiredness I have time for one verse before bed … and look! This is it. Please, pull me from this pit of procrastination into Your place of perfect peace. Amen.

January 24

A Husband’s Cross

I command you to love each other in the same way I love you. And here is how to measure it—the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends.

John 15:25 (NLT)


And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church. He gave up his life for her….

Ephesians 5:25 (NLT)


Then Jesus said to his disciples, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.

Matthew 16:24 (NKJV)


… shoulder your cross and follow me.

Mark 8:34c (NLT)



The other day I heard the most interesting thing. Someone pointed out only husbands are commanded to agape love ... not wives. They went on to explain the three Greek words for love—agape love which, is sacrificial love; phileo love, the friendship love; and eros, the erotic love—and how each was a part of the marriage relationship. But it’s only the husband who is commanded to agape love his wife. The wives are never commanded to do it. So, why are husbands commanded, “you husbands must love (agape) your wives”?

I’m convinced it's because we are so weak in this area. It’s not our strength, but it is a strength in our wives … they love us so much, it hurts. We guys are strong in other areas. This area, showing sacrificial love, is an effort.

That’s why it’s an order. Love is what the wife needs … but, typically, she doesn’t receive it. And this is when the problems start.

Now, I’m under conviction. God seems to be telling me, “love until it hurts … and then love some more!” So, I have been making a serious effort to follow my orders … to comply... and to really love.

So, what am I noticing?

As I begin to cut myself short, deny myself and take up her cause, as I shove my stuff aside to tend to her needs, to make her the priority, what's happened?

Well, guess what. She’s responding in ways I never imagined. As I have stepped it up a notch in this difficult area of sacrificial love, she has responded with her own love response AND shown me the respect I so crave as a man.

What was I doing? What was I sacrificing? Little stuff really. It was going to our son’s piano assessment instead of doing something I wanted to do. It was taking her out to lunch when I wanted to work through lunch in my study. It was taking the time to travel across town, pick up some 1 x 6s and fix the bed slats. Like I said, simple stuff.

But what made these simple things so powerful? It was the heart behind them. It was in taking the time to listen to her and be with her … and act on her account while, all the while, my day timer was screaming at me.

Yeah … it cost something. It seemed a little painful at times, but in reality, I have been rewarded beyond expectation. And because she responds to sacrificial love, I am a happy man!


LORD, thank You for this truth: Lose your life to find it. Help me bear this cross. Amen.

January 23

Finding a Way to Pray

… praying is essential … Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up….

Ephesians 6:18 (The Message)


How do you encourage your children in their Christian walk? I am constantly challenged and surprised with what works and what misses the mark completely.

Take my 9-year old son Alex and prayer. It’s been a concern. When we pray at the dinner table, he likes to look around or be actively doing things as someone else asks the blessing. And when we ask him to pray it is always the simple dinner prayer he learned at his Lutheran elementary school.

At bedtime, he says he doesn’t want to pray. Dad can do that … or Mom. I ask myself, “How do I reach my son’s heart?”

Then Thursday night we had a breakthrough.

We took Alex with us to an all-church prayer meeting for Eastmont's upcoming 7-week campaign—Desperate Households: Moving from Desperate to Dynamic. At the meeting Pastor John led us in our time. There was music and then John started us off with naming the names of God. We went through the alphabet. A—Almighty … B—Beloved … then Alex came alive when we got to C—“Christ.” Then again he spoke up when we got to P—“Prince of Peace!” Later he spoke up with the letter S—“Savior!”

After finishing the alphabet, we prayed in small groups at tables. The group began praying for individual needs of family members. Again Alex spoke up in his quiet, young, boy’s voice, “God protect Grandma and Grandpa in Hawaii and bring them home safe.” And I was awestruck….

On the drive home, Alex confided, “That was fun. Can we do it again?” Yes, we’ll do it again. God has opened my eyes … and Alex’s heart.


LORD, thank You for opening Alex’s heart to prayer. May we continue to have fun. Raise our spirits in Your presence as we think of others and ... make my son ... a mighty prayer warrior! Amen.