When Trials Come, Look to Jesus
Every one of us has experienced a parental fail. If you’re a parent, you can point to those times when you messed up. (Maybe as recently as this morning!) If you’re not a parent, there are likely times when your own parents made bad decisions or acted in a way… Read More
What to Do with Fear
What to do with fear What do we do when we feel afraid? In A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis writes, “You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death.… Only real risk tests the reality of a belief.”… Read More
Peace Be with You!
He Is Risen! It was late that [Easter] Sunday evening, and the [believers] were gathered together behind locked doors, because they were afraid of the [COVID-19]. Then Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. ‘Tis true. The preceding paragraph was adapted from John’s Gospel,… Read More
Prayer for Restoration in Our Suffering
Dear readers, we find ourselves in a challenging time as a nation. Our lives have been turned upside down by the COVID-19 outbreak. Some of us are unable to leave our homes, some have lost employment, some are sick, and some of our loved ones have died. We can’t attend… Read More
Only 9 Months ’til Christmas
It’s too early to think about Christmas! If you are observing the season of Lent, you know that we are in the fourth week of Lent with less than three weeks until the great celebration of Easter. Celebrating Christmas is probably not on your radar at all. And that’s understandable. Read More
Memorization: Getting God’s Word Inside You
Memorization has been on my mind and on my task list recently, including preparing a list of the top 10 Bible passages everyone should memorize. One candidate for that top-ten list of memory verses is Paul’s reminder in Philippians 4:8 to “fill your mind with those things that are good.”… Read More
Journey with Jesus in the Desert
The season of Lent is upon us, beginning last week with Ash Wednesday. In many churches, clergy traced ashes across recipients’ foreheads, reciting the words, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return.” This somber reminder led us into a 40-day journey, mirroring Jesus’s time of being… Read More
Does Social Media Make You Anxious?
My friends are railing about politics on Facebook again. I’m exhausted. My social media feeds brim with news of violence, incivility, and decidedly un-neighborly behavior with no end in sight. And that’s just in the United States. Does it feel the same for you? Take a deep breath… Read More
I’ll Say a Little Prayer For You
Early in my marriage, my wife used to ask me to “whisper a prayer” whenever a situation would arise. I thought her expression was quaint, maybe even lacking a degree of seriousness. However, it was not like her to take prayer lightly. In those early years of our marriage, prayer… Read More
Dealing with Distraction
Excerpts from Thoughts on Religious Experience, adapted by Lydia Sheldon Have you ever wondered if you’re the only one who can’t seem to concentrate when you sit down to pray or study God’s Word? Have you asked yourself why you can’t seem to pray as long or read… Read More