by Chris Maxwell | Sep 18, 2025 | Blog, Book Excerpts
From the book Pause: The Secret to a Better Life, One Word at a Time. You’ve been influenced by a smile, haven’t you? A genuine, sincere smile? A humble, joyful smile? A fitting but surprising smile? A real but holy smile? From a picture. From real life in real...
by Chris Maxwell | Sep 10, 2025 | Uncategorized
On a Tuesday night in Atlanta, Debbie and I sat at a table beside the stage. Dinner first, then Marc Cohn and his band. Up close. So close we could see his fingers on the keys, his hands on the guitar, his eyes closing when he leaned into a lyric. So close we could...
by Chris Maxwell | Sep 9, 2025 | Blog
Spiritual disciplines aren’t about checking boxes. They’re about opening doors. They’re invitations—methods of connecting with God, of becoming more aware of His presence in the middle of our real, busy, noisy lives. Here are fifteen spiritual disciplines—simple...
by Chris Maxwell | Sep 4, 2025 | Blog, Book Excerpts
We’re rushing. Emails, errands, meetings, messages. Deadlines we didn’t set and expectations we never agreed to. Even in our quiet moments, we’re scrolling, swiping, multitasking. What if we could press pause? Not forever. Not irresponsibly. Just long enough to...
by Chris Maxwell | Aug 28, 2025 | Blog, Book Excerpts
Today, in our spiritual formation class, we begin a slow and sacred journey. We’re reading one chapter a day from Pause with Jesus: Encountering His Story in Everyday Life. Yes, it’s a reading assignment. Yes, there will be reflections and questions. But this is not...
by Chris Maxwell | Aug 21, 2025 | Blog
We’re invited into a life that goes beyond religious routine. Spiritual formation is learning to live deeply with God—moment by moment, thought by thought, step by step. But that leads us to a practical question: Okay, how do we actually spend time with God? Richard...
by Chris Maxwell | Aug 19, 2025 | Blog
Spiritual formation is not a religious duty. It is a divine romance. This class is helping us learn more about ourselves and our Creator—how to spend time with Him in intentional, meaningful ways. The spiritual disciplines are practices that invite us into...
by Chris Maxwell | Aug 13, 2025 | Blog
Welcome back, or welcome the first time, to Emmanuel University. As the new academic year begins, I want to pause and say how grateful I am—for this community and for the opportunity we all share. What a gift it is to be here together. What a gift it is to call...
by Chris Maxwell | Aug 4, 2025 | Blog
(Read Romans 5:1–5) Life is heavy sometimes. That’s not breaking news. You and I know pain. We’ve sat in the silence of disappointment. We’ve stood in the tension of uncertainty. We’ve wrestled with grief, frustration, loss, longing. But in the middle of all of that,...
by Chris Maxwell | Aug 3, 2025 | Blog
Think about today. Just one day. Just… today. Not tomorrow. Not yesterday.Today. How can you become more aware of God today? What can you do differently—what can you think differently—to experience His presence in this one day? How could you talk with God more today...
