The large door labeled "Mental Health" stood at the end of the hallway. Maybe it really was ominous, or maybe it was just my imagination, but I took a deep breath before pressing the black button beside the door, fully aware that a camera was ...
Today’s neighborhoods are diverse, and Christians often rub shoulders with people from different religious and cultural backgrounds. To choose relationship is, I believe, reflective of God’s nature.
Jesus told us to be the salt of the earth ...
Steve was a house painter from England vacationing at a beach in the Philippines with his family. I happened to be staying at the same resort. One day during a conversation that began to turn toward spiritual things, Steve said, "I've talked ...
My mother's pale, gaunt face was transformed into wreathes of joy when I walked through the door of her hospital room. Although her eyes seemed sunken, they sparkled with the zest for life that is her own special trademark. With IVs dangling from ...
Everyone has heard the expression, “print is dead,” and there is no shortage of opinion about the explosion of digital publishing in the past few years. This massive shift in how people read has been changing the publishing industry, but ...
While most Christians want to read their Bibles regularly, we often fall short of integrating Scripture reading into the daily rhythm of our lives. We rely mostly on Christian “professionals”—pastors and popular Christian teachers—to ...
Have you ever been in a conversation with others and realized you had checked out? You see their mouths moving, but aren't engaged? Situations like this make me ask:
- Why is it so difficult to stay in the present?
- How can we remain engaged when we are in conversation?
Jenny was 92 years old when she died. For the 50 years I knew Jenny, she told the story over and over of a time her sister would not give her the dollar she needed for a pair of shoes. Her details made it seem like the offense had happened just days ...
I am an unnervingly present person. I rarely think about the future. I’m too caught up in the now to worry about what has to be done tomorrow. For some reason, pregnancy launched me into a preparatory nightmare. I couldn’t be too equipped. ...
Moses sent spies to the Promised Land to check things out. They brought back a mixed report.
They gave Moses this account: "We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live ...
High in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah stands a magnificent aspen forest. If you could visit that place today, you would be amazed by the beauty and abundance of life beneath that golden canopy. What would be less obvious is that what appears to the eye ...
The questions that young people have are often the same ones that perplexed the great theologians, driving them to search for God in the places God didn't appear to be—places of brokenness, suffering, and confusion. So it's not surprising that ...
"It does sometimes seem a shame that Noah and his party did not miss the boat," quips Mark Twain as his sharp tongue aims at the heart of humanity. My favorite thing that Mark Twain satirically advocated, however, was to bring home missionaries from ...
“There is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out fear.” (1 John 4:18, ESV)
At the time of this writing, many people in the United States are fearful about the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. They’re anxious about what ...
Any time suicide is in the news, we're filled with a sense of loss. We mourn the loss of what might have been, and we grieve the loss of gifts and talents. Whether it's a celebrity or someone closer to home, suicide is always a tragedy.
Let's ...
My husband and I moved to a new home in Michigan a few weeks ago. It did not take long for volcano of chaos to erupt in our lives. One night a police officer issued my husband a ticket for a busted taillight. The next morning water flooded our entire ...
These top ten digital studies cover a variety of topics to help you grow your faith. Each curriculum gives you a digital PDF participants guide, along with resources to lead a group.
1. Psalms: Managing Our EmotionsIn this twelve-session course, learn ...
Be prepared this Christmas season by focusing on what matters most, The birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We’ve created numerous courses to prepare you for this holiday season. These are the top five that you have downloaded.
5. Luke: Bring ...