Hearing God's voice is not the destination. Knowing God is. One of the foundations of Soul Weathered is learning to hear God's voice. Not because hearing His voice is the goal. It's because God is always wanting to speak into our lives. No matter what's going on. No matter where we are. No matter whether we're facing a crisis or celebrating a victory. He wants to be involved. He wants to speak into our problems. He wants to speak into our successes. He wants to speak into how

Everything abandoned to God will be returned to us, either in this lifetime or in eternity. One of the devotions in Soul Weathered is called Abandoned to God. In it, I make a statement that someone recently asked me about. I wrote: "Everything abandoned to God will be returned to us, either in this lifetime or in eternity." Do I really believe that? Absolutely. Recently I had lunch with a friend I've known for several years. Twenty-six months ago, he made a decision that most

“Sometimes faith is walking away from the throne without an answer, knowing the question is safe with God” Why some questions must be carried with God before they can be answered Soul Weathered contains fifty-two devotions. One for every week of the year. There's a reason for that. It isn't simply because men don't like to read. It isn't because I thought people couldn't handle more. It's because I've learned something over the years about walking with God. Sometimes it take

One of the themes throughout Soul Weathered is what I call our inner weather. Not the weather outside us. The weather within us. The emotions no one else sees. The conversations no one else hears. One of those conversations has followed me for most of my adult life. It's the way I speak to myself. I've always been impatient. Not just with traffic. Not just with delays. Not even primarily with other people. I've been impatient with me. For years, every little mistake became an

One of the things I wrestle with in Soul Weathered is mystery. Not because I enjoy unanswered questions. But because there are questions that simply don't have easy answers. Sometimes I wonder about the person who might pick up Soul Weathered—the agnostic, the atheist, or simply the person who has been deeply wounded—and think, This doesn't answer my questions. Honestly, I understand. Because I've asked many of those same questions myself. In my early thirties, I went through

One of the recurring themes throughout Soul Weathered is the relentless love of God. His pursuit of us. His kindness toward us. His fatherly care. Over and over, I've written about God's love flowing toward us. But recently, God has been showing me something different through my granddaughter. Something about how we love Him back. My granddaughter often spends the night with us. And like many four-year-olds, she likes to sleep close. Sometimes she sleeps between us. Sometimes

"Jesus died for you. God calls you. And eventually, there are steps of obedience only you can take." Jesus told a story about a shepherd who left ninety-nine sheep to go after one that was lost. I've heard that story most of my life. Usually, I heard it from the perspective of evangelism. The lost person. The person far from God. The one who needs rescuing. And that's true. But recently I've been wondering something else. What if the one is you? Not you as part of a crowd. No

Colorado River There’s a devotional in Soul Weathered called “Expectation.” And lately, I’ve been thinking about that word again. Not just spiritually. Practically. Daily. I was talking with my father yesterday, and later with my wife, about expectations. What do we actually expect from life ahead? From our future? From tomorrow? And honestly, what do we expect from today? I woke up this morning thinking about that. What is my expectation for this day? Do I expect joy? Do I e

There’s a section in Soul Weathered devoted entirely to grace. Not grace as a theological idea. But grace as something lived. Patsy Folk, my mom. Something seen. Something experienced in ordinary moments that quietly change the way you see people forever. One of those moments happened when I was a teenager. My mother worked at a Bible bookstore in Hickory, NC , and one day I was in the store looking through music when I started hearing raised voices. I looked over and saw an

There’s a section of devotions in Soul Weathered centered around fatherhood. Not because I figured it out perfectly. But because raising my daughters taught me more about the heart of God than almost anything else in my life. When my wife and I first started raising children, we had a very clear idea of the kind of parents we were going to be. Or at least we thought we did. A lot of our thinking came from teachings on “tough love”—raising children with firmness, structure, co