We are Jesus Christ's; we belong to him. But even more, we are increasingly him. He moves in and commandeers our hands and feet, requisitions our minds and tongues. We sense his rearranging: debris into the divine, pig's ear into silk purse. He repurposes bad decisions and squalid choices. Little by little, a new image emerges.

What to change your life? Begin by saying, "The Lord is my shepherd."

I don't think I have ever created an entire fiction piece or followed a historical piece and made that into a sermon.

There is a canyon of difference between doing your best to glorify God and doing whatever it takes to glorify yourself. The quest for excellence is a mark of maturity. The quest for power is childish.

With God, every day matters, every person counts. And that includes you.

I believe ingratitude is the original sin. I believe if Adam and Eve had been grateful for the garden of Eden they had, they would not have been so focused on the one tree they didn't have.

Jesus said, "My Father is the gardener...He trims and cleans every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce even more fruit".