Tanya Dennis Books

Tanya Dennis Books

  • Encouragement or warning? Only context will tell.

    Encouragement or warning? Only context will tell.

    “For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and He examines all your paths.”

    – Proverbs 5:21

    This was the verse of the day set in bold block letters against a striking image of highways and train tracks. It offered encouragement to all those sparrows who long to have the Lord’s eyes upon them, to be watched and cared for. A reassurance that not a single path escapes his sovereign attention. Safety. Security. Peace.

    These were my initial thoughts upon seeing the verse broadcast at the top of the website. I took comfort in the words and connotations I had assigned to them.

    Ah, and there is the rub. Connotations I had assigned to them.

    Devotional websites always pick uplifting verses to feature. I get it. They want to offer a quick shot of fuel to our faith. Sometimes a blast of (seemingly) sound doctrine or an energetic burst of praise. Their job is to provide something bite-sized. That’s exactly what they do with catchy graphics you can quickly share on social media. They feature popular teachers and simple reading plans that require only a few verses a day. Snack-size spirituality.

    If people really wanted a meaty meal of Scripture, they would read a book, listen to a sermon, or dive into a full Bible study, not grab a formulated devotional that can be read in less time than it takes to make coffee. Right?

    We’ve tried to make faith convenient, but shortcuts can be misleading. 

    We’ve tried to make convenient.

    That’s a loaded statement, to be sure, and I could probably take it a dozen different directions. We could talk about assimilation to comfort and culture or entertainment churches. We could criticize “fire insurance” evangelists selling “cheap grace” or celebrity Christians and modern worship. We could point toward the publishing industry, politics, culture… a thousand labels, each one presenting their own field of explosive mines.

    Right now, though, I just want to talk about Scripture and our approach to it. Let’s get back to that verse about our paths.

    “For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and He examines all your paths.”

    – Proverbs 5:21

    As I have gotten in the habit of doing, I clicked on the tiny link below the featured verse to read “In Context.” What I found startled me. 

    This verse isn’t an encouragement. It’s a warning. 

    Proverbs 5 is all about faithfulness in marriage. It gives twenty-three verses about avoiding seduction and enjoying your wife. This particular verse – verse 21 – reminds us that God sees even what we think we do in secret. Within this context, the verse should fill us with reverent fear rather than cozy confidence.

    I wonder how many people visited that site and applied the same positive connotations I did. How many people read it and felt bolstered rather than admonished? Encouraged rather than cautioned?

    Let’s strive for more than simple faith and popular takes.

    We live in a tweetable, social-media obsessed culture. We have very short attention spans and we breed false ideals of popularity, somehow equating broad appeal with “good” or “right.”

    Seth Godin wrote:

    “Popular isn’t the same as important. Popular isn’t the same as profound. Popular isn’t even the same as useful.

    “To make something popular, the creator leaves out the hard parts and amps up the crowd-pleasing riffs. To make something popular, the creator knows that she’s dumbing things down in exchange for attention.“

    How often are we leaving out the hard parts?

    Please understand I am not at all disparaging Bible apps or devotionals. I do challenge them to be careful with their presentations, but mostly my admonition here is for you and me.

    Are we considering the context of Scripture or just looking for a self-help shot of faith each day?

    Are we handling God’s Word with the reverence and care it deserves?

    I am not saying we need to spend five hours in study and prayer. You don’t have to learn Hebrew and Greek. You can! But my point is simply to be present and aware when we approach Scripture.

    Read it. Read it to understand. Think about it. Consider what it means. Pray and ask for insight. And do all that before you slap it on an image and share it with all your friends.

    In our heads — I hope! — we know what Godin says is true. But in our actions, in our hearts, in our attitudes and choices, we’re still counting the “likes” and smiles we get. We still think, at times subconsciously, that voiced approval by others affirms value or goodness. Even correctness. We think that if it makes us feel good, it must be right.

    We’re not just taking Scripture out of context.
    We’re taking ourselves out of context, too.

  • If you have to learn the hard way, start asking these four questions.

    If you have to learn the hard way, start asking these four questions.

    Scripture is a funny thing. A group of people can read a passage together, and each member of that group could extract different layers. The Holy Spirit speaks to us through God’s Word, both corporately and individually. And the more you read it, the more you see. Sometimes what we see first, what rings most familiar and comfortable, may not be the point at all.

    He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then He gave you manna to eat, which you and your fathers had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

    Deuteronomy 8:3

    When you read this verse, what do you see? What sticks out to you most?

    This is a familiar passage, in part. Jesus quoted the bit about man not living on bread alone when refuting the temptations of Satan prior to beginning His public ministry (Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4). So we probably recognize that, but have we looked at the rest of the verse? The context of Deuteronomy may be less familiar to us. Who said this? To whom? And what is he talking about? Let’s take a look.

    What’s the deal with Deuteronomy?

    Deuteronomy means “second law.” It’s the fifth book of the Bible, and its name is quite appropriate since this is the second time the Israelites were given the Law.

    The first time was when Moses received the tablets on the top of Mount Sinai. This story most remember. Moses came down the mountain to find the people worshipping a golden calf they had created from the jewelry they were given while leaving Egypt. Not a great moment.

    But think about it: These people had been living in a pagan nation for over 400 years. They had been oppressed and enslaved and didn’t really understand what God expected of them. That’s why they needed the Law to show them how God’s Chosen People were to live differently.

    Fast forward a bit: God led them right to the Promised Land, but fear ruled the majority of the spies. They told everyone what they saw, and the people refused to enter. Because they refused to trust Him, God sent them on a little hike and gave them a little time to think.

    Deuteronomy comes after forty years of wandering, right before the Israelites made their second attempt to enter the Promised Land. With very few exceptions, the generation that walked through the Red Sea and heard the Law from Moses died in the desert. Their children were now leading the tribes. It was their turn to hear the Law for themselves. Thus — Deuteronomy. Second Law.

    Deuteronomy gives this new generation of Israelites a fresh start. It’s a combination of history — Hey, this is what went down. These are the promises God made to your ancestors, and this is how they responded. — and instruction — Remember those promises. Remember the lessons and the consequences. You now get to choose a better way.

    Context is vital.

    Let’s look at that verse again.

    He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then He gave you manna to eat, which you and your fathers had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

    Deuteronomy 8:3

    Some will look at this and skip right to the familiar bits at the end. See! — we need to study our Scriptures! Physical hunger is less important than our spiritual needs.

    Some will look at the beginning and see judgment and cruelty. See! — God let them go hungry! He’s sadistic. When He does feed them, it’s some weird food they’ve never seen before.

    We can see the beginning of the verse or we can emphasize the end, but if we skip the middle, we’ve missed the whole point. The middle is our context. It’s our WHY.

    …so that you might learn…

    God is a good Father. He didn’t lead the Israelites into the desert to kill them. He didn’t send them out there to die and be punished. He sent them out there to wander and learn of His goodness and faithfulness to them. He wanted them to learn to trust Him.

    Why didn’t they go into the Promised Land when He led them right to it? Because they were afraid. They were trusting in themselves instead of trusting in Him. They needed to see that they could not provide for themselves — not food or water or protection. They needed to learn that God is their Provider and Protector. He is the One who will fight their battles for them.

    Learning the Hard Way

    Have you ever had to learn the hard way? Or known someone who insists on the rougher route?

    Just like the Israelites, we can lean on our own understanding.
    Just like the Israelites, we can forget God and all that He’s done for us.
    Just like the Israelites, we sometimes get sent on a little hike.

    Maybe the job opportunity didn’t come through as we’d hoped.
    Maybe healing didn’t come as fast or in the way we expected.
    Maybe a global pandemic sent all our plans flying out the window.

    We all want to be in control and when we realize we’re not, our equilibrium can go wonky. We may question things we know to be true (like God’s character or sovereignty) and we may temporarily lose our way. We often feel very, very alone.

    Sometimes what looks like abandonment is actually opportunity.

    You know, when the Israelites were in the desert, God provided for them, but not bread they recognized. He gave them a miraculous new food, one they couldn’t possibly credit to their own efforts or merit. It was a gift.

    Ask questions.

    When things don’t go the way we want, let’s ask questions.

    • How can we better TRUST God through this?
    • What can we LEARN from this?
    • What NEW THING might come from this?
    • What GIFTS is God giving us right now?
  • The starting point matters.

    The starting point matters.

    You can’t win a 5K if you run in the wrong town.

    You won’t get where you want to go if your map is for the wrong state.

    And, no matter what Joey Tribbiani says, trifles do not taste good if the ingredients you use aren’t right.

    The starting point matters.

    We may all agree with that, but often our actions and thoughts tell a different story. We might lean into the belief that “it’s the thought that counts” or “the ends justify the means.” We often insist that EFFORT or PASSION are what matter most. How hard are you working? Have you earned your success? It’s all part of our American values.

    It’s not about us as much as we think (or want).

    In Matthew 7 Jesus tells the story of two builders. I’m sure you’ve heard it. One builds his house on the sand, while the other builds his on the rock. When the storms come, the house on the sand — as the Sunday School song says — “GOES SPLAT!!”

    Kids laugh at that. It’s funny. And children’s books often ham it up even more.

    Authors and illustrators depict the man who built his house on the sand as lazy, carefree, and in a hurry. He slaps together his house with crooked corners and worn boards, then sits sunning in a beach chair with an umbrella in his drink.

    The second man — the man who built his house on the rock — is strong, calculated, and hard-working. His house comes together over an extended period of time. It sports brick walls, neat windows, and solid construction, sometimes looking like a mansion compared to his neighbor’s shack.

    And just like that — we’ve conflated God’s Word with our own cultural virtues. The one who is smart, diligent, and passionate always gets ahead, right?

    Here’s the problem: Jesus doesn’t suggest any of this. He doesn’t diminish the work, skill, or commitment of the builders. He doesn’t say one house stood inferior to the other. He simply highlights the different foundations.

    You could argue that a “smart” builder would know better than to build on sand, but the builder is not the point. And Jesus isn’t arguing that.

    He directs our focus to the starting point.

    What are our starting points?

    When we talk about loving our neighbors, what is our starting point?

    Do we, like the lawyer in Luke 10, seek first to define who qualifies? Are they close enough, trying hard enough, needy enough, righteous enough? Do they look like me? Can I trust them? Are they trying to take anything that’s rightfully mine? We often want to assess if they’re worthy and really our responsibility.

    When we talk about politics, what is our starting point?

    A lot of us start with our rights. We protect those first. We may listen to arguments and choose a side, then hit up the Bible for Scriptural supports. Is that how we want to do this?

    How often do we start with what’s best for the community? Or what might rescue the oppressed? Can we seek to know the heart of God FIRST, then see how we can apply that to how we live and vote? Do we look at all of God’s instructions or just the ones that fit our agendas? And those supports should be evaluated in context, not just squeezed into a catchy meme or shareable graphic.

    When we study the Bible, what is our starting point?

    Maybe we start with a problem we have or a source of pain. We want relief, so we go to God’s Word. Is there a book or study that will directly address that issue and tell us how God can fix our problems?

    Or maybe we approach the Bible to confirm what we already believe. Do we pull out our concordances and search by keywords to affirm choices we want to make? (Or have already made.)

    Now, there’s nothing wrong with seeking wisdom from the Bible. It’s good! And we absolutely should seek wisdom from God, but should we be starting with US? If we only and always approach Scripture with the question — What can God do for me? — we have the wrong starting point.

    We can view the Bible as a manual, but … Do you have a personal relationship with your washing machine? That came with a manual, too. This self-help approach makes our faith less about a relationship and more about a transaction.

    Seek FIRST His Kingdom.

    What if the builder who started on the sand didn’t know it was sand? It could have looked solid to him. He may have known more about construction and materials. He may have saved longer and been more respected in the community and in his trade. What if he worked crazy-hard and just built in the wrong spot?

    That’s not funny at all.
    It’s tragic.

    And I fear we can make that same mistake far too easily.

    We can spend our lives working for something, building a kingdom of our own design, and realize only too late that we’ve started in the wrong spot.

    But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…

    Matthew 6:33

    Dallas Willard defines the kingdom of God as “where what God wants done is done.”

    Jesus isn’t instructing us to seek eternal life in some future heaven. Yes, the faithful will receive that, but we should seek FIRST to do the will of God.

    It’s not the quality of work or even the builder’s supreme passion that makes his house stand. It’s the proper foundation. That foundation isn’t politics or logic. It’s not works or skill or popularity. It’s living like Jesus Christ. It’s seeking, above all else, to do the will of God.

  • Is God REALLY on our side?

    Is God REALLY on our side?

    Romans 8 may be my very favorite chapter of the Bible. Okay, in truth, I have several favorite chapters, but this short segment of a letter to the Roman believers cut straight to my heart as a teenager. It brought me to a saving knowledge of my separation from God and my need for grace through Christ. It continues to cut straight to my heart today, twenty-five years later. I could go on and on about the beautiful truths laid bare in these verses, but – well, that’s not the point of this post. Let’s just look at verse 31.

    “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

    This verse rests within the very specific context of salvation. The whole chapter goes to great lengths to assure believers that once God has chosen to save us, we cannot be snatched from His all-powerful, gracious, and loving hands. How gorgeous is that truth?

    The American church loves this verse as a rally cry. It’s a strong comfort, a brazen proclamation. And it’s a handy little finger-in-the-eye justification for just about anything we want to do that might offend our neighbors. You don’t like it? Well, God is for us, so who are you to stand against us?

    Adding convenience to power, anybody can use it. And we all do.

    Politically, I’m independent. I don’t fully align with any of the major parties, which means all of them have a problem with me. My liberal friends think I’m too conservative (because I’m pro-life, pro-marriage and traditional values, and crave small government and fiscal responsibility). My conservative friends think I’m too liberal (because I believe being pro-life should extend to all of life, not just the unborn; and because I support racial equality and justice, immigration, and gun control).

    Please don’t get trapped by the issues or confessions I’ve just shared. None of that is my point. Stay with me.

    I have friends on both sides of the spectrum spewing hatred and arrogance, all bolstered in religious fortification and argument. I humbly confess: I’ve taken my turns doing the same. It’s not pretty. For any of us. Least of all the Body of Christ.

    This christening of ideas and motivations can go well beyond politics.

    • If God is for me, I cannot fail at anything.
    • If God is for me, I don’t need to defend myself or my ideas … ever.
    • If God is for me, then anyone who claims Christ should agree with me.
    • If God is for me and my boss is against me, defiance becomes righteous duty.
    • If God is for me and my spouse is against me, then divorce is justified.
    • If God is for me, He wants me to be happy and will bless any path that leads to that end.

    I fear we too often forget the gravity of that very first word: IF.

    We must ask ourselves: Is God for us?

    Who’s side is God on? Who’s side are we on?

    Two passages of Scripture stand juxtaposed. They possess almost identical wording, yet not. For some reason that verse in Romans gets a lot more publicity than this next one. Perhaps because it’s in the New Testament and this one is in the Old Testament. Or maybe it’s because the Romans passage feels empowering and brazen and this one … well, this one requires humility.

    Joshua 5:13—14 reads:

    “When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua approached Him and asked, ‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’

    ‘Neither,’ He replied. ‘I have now come as a commander of the LORD’s army.’

    Then Joshua bowed with his face to the ground in worship and asked Him, ‘What does my Lord want to say to His servant?’”

    This one doesn’t quite roll off the tongue as quickly nor as easily as that verse in Romans. It doesn’t fit on a bumper sticker either. But it is so important. It gives us some practical advice for walking with the Lord.

    Joshua knew this warrior was great, and he didn’t dare assume He was with him. He asked. He inquired. And guess what? The warrior wasn’t on either side. Not on Joshua’s side. Not on Joshua’s enemies’ side. The warrior wasn’t taking sides with humans. Rather, he wanted to know who was on the LORD’s side.

    What happened next? Joshua humbled himself, face to the ground, and sought direction. He didn’t take another step until he heard from God. Rather than ask God to bless his human plans, Joshua inquired about God’s plans for him. Then he obeyed.

    We often want God to bless us. We want Him to condone and support our plans. What would happen if, instead of asking God to join OUR side, we truly sought to join HIS side?

    What would happen if, instead of asking God to join our side, we truly sought to join His side?

    What if God isn’t on our side? What if – even more terrifying – we stand against Him?

    It is natural to defend our positions passionately. We want to win the battle, to argue toward a won debate. May we, as humble servants of God, pause. Take a breath. And truly seek God.

    It’s great if He’s on our side. It’s even better if we’re on His side.


    I’ve committed the great taboo of raising politics in a post about spiritual intimacy. As such, many will want to argue points and positions based on those issues. Please don’t. This isn’t a platform for political debate or grandstanding, and any such comments will be deleted. Refuse to chase the red herring.

    This post isn’t about politics. It’s about humility. Supplication. Introspection. For myself most of all.

    If you have comments and insights about Scripture or about seeking God in the dailies of your life, please post them! I’d love to know your thoughts on that.

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