How many times this week has someone told you, You’ve got this, after confiding in them about a difficult situation, work assignment, final exam, or important conversation that lay ahead of you? How many messages have you heard through advertisements,…
This world teaches us live in light of the moment. Whatever brings temporary pleasure, satisfies our desires, and fulfills our dreams takes priority, even at the cost of hurting others. We’re not taught to count the cost, or think about…
The church is the family of God. Paul beautifully expresses this truth at the end of his letter to the Thessalonians by using the term “brothers” five times (1 Thess. 5:12, 14, 25, 26, 27). Every family has rules, whether…
When you’re in distressing circumstances, it’s hard to rest in God’s providence. Just ask the young married couple who recently buried their first child, or the mother who just learned her son has leukemia. Speak with the couple who is…
When the Apostle Paul is outlining the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, he lists joy as the second fruit, directly after love. There seems to be a rather compelling reason for this. In Matthew 22:34-40, when Jesus is…
The aspiration for peace has loomed large in the popular consciousness against the backdrop of continual wars, conflict, and social upheaval. It is the dream of every pageant contestant. And it has its own iconography: the v hand signal and…
I remember the excitement I felt when I began my new job as an assistant director of women’s ministry in a local church after graduating from seminary. I had the privilege of serving under two women who were far more…
Suffering is incredibly difficult, but all the more so when we don’t understand its purpose and we’ve lost our hope in the midst of it. It’s important, then, that in the midst of suffering we take time to reorient our…
“Well-Beloved Child” – Letters from Mothers to their Children From the earliest times, mothers have felt the responsibility of training and instructing their children. We find plenty of examples both in the Bible and in church history. This desire has…
One of the most difficult things for people to do is to cease striving and rest. Yet striving after the things the human heart craves, like significance, security, and success, has not brought people contentment. Instead, people are frustrated, hate…
