Too often we only bless and praise results. Which, in our homes, churches, and businesses, can lead to a culture of people-pleasing, unhealthy competition, and burnout.

We tend to associate bad doctrine with bad motives. It seems to be that we tend to lump together those who we consider to be teaching error into the group of "wolves" and "false teachers" and "heretics" without considering that they may just be in error.

Christians are secularized just the same as the secular are Christianized, but neither are either brave enough to admit it, or aware enough to articulate it.

This strange tension is one that I’ve not yet come to fully embrace, but one I’m learning to appreciate more and more each day. And I’m finding I appreciate it now more this year than last year.

There’s no reason why I shouldn’t be serving a life sentence in prison right now. There’s also no reason why I shouldn’t be suffering from some incurable disease. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t be poor, destitute, and lonely.

There is Another who knows the pain of losing His only Son to death, but that Other also knows the joy of being reunited with that Son, a joy that Tim will one day share in himself.