If you were asked to describe Jesus using only one word, what would it be? Does such a word even exist? Would it be Savior? God? Shepherd? Companion? Rabbi? Wise? Honest? Or maybe real. After all, Jesus was deeply tangible. …
Dinah, the Daughter of Jacob, felt bored—and she had good reason to be. Life in a goatskin tent did not offer much attraction for a girl in her teens, especially since her parents were aged and she had only brothers …
When I was a young mom, a friend opened up my dusty bible and showed me that what Jesus had done on the cross two thousand years earlier was for me. Until that time, I hadn’t understood that heaven was …
Have you ever had a moment at work that felt like it was being spoken, written, or sketched by another? It may last for only a second, but when it happens you have this sense that circumstances are playing out …
Perseverance is not a particularly happy word, but it is a strong word—full of iron. It implies making a conscious decision to face reality and to persist with hope. I think of the Lord’s words found in Isaiah 50:7: “Because …
I used to have dazzling quiet times. I sat on my bed, holding my four-part prayer notebook as if it were a cherished artifact. Pulling back the tab marked “adoration,” I peered at a list of forty words that described …
I’ve come to learn that the first rule of hospitality is the same as the cardinal rule of writing: consider your audience. Offer food and atmosphere that is helpful and accessible. Make it as easy as possible for guests to …
Two things you never want to do. Never scream “Fire!” in a crowded theater, and never whisper the word tolerance in church, unless you want to be tied to a stake and burned. OK, I’m being facetious and a little …
There is a barrier we place between lost people and God that may not seem to you to be a barrier at all. It’s the church building. To “think outside of the box” is to see beyond the norm—to think …
Darlene longed to have a child. After years of waiting, blonde, blue-eyed Amber was born. She was the perfect baby. She slept, nursed, and smiled. She was never sick, always agreeable. Angel Baby became her nickname. As Amber grew, Darlene …