Author: Kurt Zuiderveen

do you not know me?

Many of us, including myself, have claimed to follow Jesus a long time. But his kind words to his untrusting disciples in John 14 have caused me to ponder and reconsider what I think I know.  In this passage, Jesus is invites and encourages His closest friends not be troubled because they know him and because he will always care for them: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I… Continue reading do you not know me?

civil war

  According to Google, a civil war is a war between political factions or regions within the same country or region.  But if we are honest, we all know this war happens not only between geographical regions but also between us and our relationships with others and within our own self and body. I hear it in almost everyone I sit with (including myself): “A part of me wants [fill in the blank],  but another part doesn’t want that.”  Or, “A part of me wants to take control/protect myself/leave the… Continue reading civil war

do not fear

The most frequent command in scripture is some version of “do not be afraid” or “fear not.” It is used a reported 365 times, though I haven’t counted. My colleague here at the Barnabas Center, Roger Edwards, leads a seminar titled “It is not what you say, it’s how you say it.” I wonder how the speakers in scripture (Lord, Angels, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, the Prophets, Jesus, Paul, etc.) “say it”? Is it given as an admonishment or as words of comfort? Was it said irritably or soothingly? Those… Continue reading do not fear

recovering (re-connecting) from the worst day

Have you ever had a day that you knew you would never be the same after?  When the world as you knew it was forever altered?  Those days never start out radically different, nor with obvious warning signs.  Even if they did, how can you ever be prepared for what The Fresh Prince once mused, “Now, this is a story all about how my life got flipped-turned upside down…” When we encounter tragedy or trauma—the flipped-turned upside down moments—our brain and body go into survival mode.  Whether that survival is… Continue reading recovering (re-connecting) from the worst day