In a recent interview on Christian radio, world-renowned vocal artist Wintley Phipps talked about his rise from humble beginnings to becoming one of the most celebrated gospel singers of our time. Phipps is a two-time Grammy award nominee, has sung in Billy Graham crusades, and performed for six American presidents. His rendition of Amazing Grace has upward of 7 million views on YouTube. His secret to success may surprise you. “To be successful in anything, we must begin by preparing our hearts with stillness and prayer,” Phipps said. He says the key to all the successes God has allowed him…
Have you ever considered that our greatest need is stillness? In our wildly accelerating world, our lives are perpetually overloaded, chaotic, and noisy. The demands of daily life, coupled with our devices constantly informing, entertaining, and distracting us, lead us to a place of endless inner buzz. We become increasingly desperate to slow down, unplug, and seek quiet—but find it foreign and elusive. Did God intend that we push stillness out of our lives to the degree that we no longer experience His presence? That we love and serve the god of busy instead of Him? Without a smartphone, even Jesus…
Why is it the busier we get, the less time we often devote to the one relationship that matters most—God? It’s a phenomenon I call the “pace paradox.” I recently read about studies which reveal that the pace of life worldwide is now 10% faster than it was twenty years ago. Consider this . . . Researchers for this “pace of life” project studied the correlation between time, money and walking in 32 major cities around the world. They clocked how long it took pedestrians to walk 60 feet. Singapore timed the fastest at 10.55 seconds, up 30% from two…
American Christian evangelist Anne Graham Lotz (daughter of Billy Graham) recently posted an urgent call to prayer for our country. In her blog she wrote: “As you may know, my husband is in declining health. I am no longer traveling and speaking as much as I have for the last 26 years since I am staying home to care for him. As a result, I have had time to be quiet and listen more to the whispers of the Spirit. He has revealed things to me in the stillness that I’m not sure I would have heard in my former…