Reset with Bonnie Sala: Recent Episodes
Bonnie Sala
We all need a daily reset! Bonnie Sala shares 2-minutes of truth and grace from God’s Word that will reset your spiritual life. Learn to connect the way you live with what you believe.
When life leaves you standing in the ruins, God’s presence remains the only firm foundation beneath your feet.
What if the hardest season of your life isn’t evidence that God has abandoned you, but proof that He’s still at work in ways you can’t yet see?
Most people marry for love and belonging—but God designed marriage for something far greater. One couple’s story that may change how you see yours.
The heart of the gospel is not what you can do for God, but what God has already done for you through Jesus Christ.
Faith was never meant to stay inside a church building. Discover how ordinary acts of love can make God’s presence visible to the people around you.
When life feels unfair, it’s easy to wonder if God sees what’s happening. Discover what Scripture says about injustice, integrity, and God’s never-failing justice.
When loss threatens to define who you are, lasting peace is found by anchoring your identity in the unchanging love of Christ.
Suffering is hard enough. The false teaching that says it’s a sign of weak faith makes it unbearable.
When history, hurt, and daily contact collide, forgiveness feels impossible. But Jesus offers a way through.
Kenny believed God had nothing to offer for the practical problems of life. Then a lost ID card, a simple prayer, and an unexpected answer challenged everything he thought he knew about God.
When suffering lasts longer than you expected, it’s easy to wonder if your faith has failed but God says something different is happening beneath the surface.
When a marriage drifts into quiet distance without any dramatic cause, Scripture offers a path back to love that runs deeper than feelings.
Many people begin reading the Bible are surprised by stories that feel disturbing or confusing. Here’s why Scripture honestly reveals human brokenness, how difficult passages point us to Jesus, and why your questions do not scare God.
Whenever we’re overwhelmed, if we’ll pause to remember Who God is and who we are in Him, something measurable shifts inside us.
For a Syrian exile who lost his father, his mother, and his homeland, grief became the unlikely birthplace of a calling to bring the hope of Jesus to hundreds of thousands.
The friction in your marriage may be the most intentional thing God is doing in your life right now. God often uses the person who knows us best to make us into who He designed us to be.
For a woman quietly carrying the burden of caregiving, short daily messages of biblical encouragement became a steady reminder that God had not abandoned her in her hardship.
What happens when we repeatedly ignore the quiet moments when we know we should make something right? Here’s how God calls us back before our hearts grow hard.
What if the moments when God corrects you are not signs of rejection, but reminders that you deeply belong to Him?
From dinner tables to waiting rooms, everyday conversation is quietly disappearing from modern life. But God created us to encourage, comfort, and truly see one another through our words.
When a relationship becomes the center of your identity, it can feel like everything rises and falls with it. This story shows what happens when that place is given back to God—and how true freedom begins.
Why do people who do wrong seem to succeed while you’re trying to do what’s right? Psalm 73 speaks directly to that struggle.
When God’s ways feel confusing, you’re invited to trust something deeper than your understanding.
We all have a sense of what’s fair. But what happens when someone asks more than they should? Jesus invites us to respond in a way that can change how we see others.
We love a good reveal, but the greatest one hasn’t happened yet. What does it mean to believe in someone you’ve never seen, and how does that shape the way you live today?
There’s probably someone in your life you’d rather avoid. Jesus says love them anyway. Prayer is where that impossible love begins.
God doesn’t always remove the struggles at once, but He always changes us through them.
A woman prayed for food and God answered. But her story reveals a deeper hunger shared by many who are longing to find hope in Him.
When that approval is missing or broken, it leaves a deep longing—but the Bible points to a different kind of Father, one who shows us what fatherhood was meant to be.
A few seconds can change everything. Discover how a simple pause before you speak can prevent regret and lead to wiser, more life-giving words.
Life is hard but we make it harder. Learn God’s way for ordering our lives that doesn’t depend on our own willpower.
Is it possible to fall in love again when feelings fade? One woman’s story shows how God changes the heart first—and how that transformation can restore love and bring new life.
When life goes wrong, your first instinct reveals more than you think. Here’s what it looks like to turn toward God in your hardest moments instead of pulling away.
Even the most powerful people look for answers in the wrong places. Find out why the stars will never give you what only God can.
When soldiers killed his father and displaced his family, Jeton had every reason to hate—until the Holy Spirit made the impossible possible.
God never shames us for recognizing a wrong turn. He welcomes us back and leads us toward the life He intended.
Fear and faith ask the same question about the future but only one of them leads to the God who can be trusted with what we cannot see.
When pressure surfaces anxious thoughts and old patterns, God’s Spirit works through His living Word to transform the mind like willpower never could.
When a boy in Albania asked how to forgive classmates who kept hurting him, God answered through a radio message, a quiet car ride, and a dinner table conversation his family will never forget.
When shame stops being about what you did and starts feeling like who you are, discover what God’s voice actually says about your worth and your future.
When life turns out nothing like you expected and God feels distant, find out what the Bible says to believers who are exhausted, confused, and tempted to give up.
When you’ve been strong for everyone else for too long, discover a Savior who understands your limits and a God who draws closest to those whose strength has run out.
When tension lives in your shoulders and sleep won’t come, God’s invitation to cast your worries on Him is more than a mental exercise, it’s a physical act of release for your whole self.
When a woman in Kazakhstan started living by God’s guidelines even in small things, she discovered something unexpected—it felt better.
Not every voice that pressures you is God’s—and learning the difference can set you free.
When you can’t fix your situation, God offers something better than escape—He offers His presence.
Have you ever wondered if anyone truly sees what you’re carrying? What if the God of heaven sees you more clearly than anyone in your life ever has?
When bitterness destroys you from the inside, discover the peace Jesus promised, a gift only God can give.
Sometimes, even what seem like good things can become barriers to the deeper work God wants to do in our lives.
This story of a Bible, a love letter, and God's relentless pursuit will leave you amazed.
If you've ever scrolled through your news feed or watched the headlines, you might feel like the world is in a constant state of crisis. Where is hope today?
Fathers in three countries had no model for good fatherhood—until a radio broadcast brought them the one Father who could teach them.
Scars are reminders of pain we've endured— moments we'd often rather forget. But here's something extraordinary: Jesus has scars too.
How do you handle rejection? Your sense of identity can make you more resilient when rejections come!
One in five young people globally have seriously considered ending their lives. Elena was one of them—until she found an anchor that held.
Beyond meeting our needs, the God of the Bible is the God that takes us deeper—to give us Himself.
Do my habits matter? Healthy habits can be the difference between joyfully obeying God and struggling in a constant state of exhaustion.
Arina grew up being told that following Jesus would mean betraying her people. But the Bible says otherwise.
Kindness isn't just about how we speak in good moments, but about how we treat each other in the tough ones.
It's not about what we deserve, but what God created us to experience in relationship with Him.
God wants relationship with you, and He gave you living words to help you live everyday with Him.
When repeated failure has drained your hope, Jesus offers something that circumstances cannot take away.
In captivity, a simple broadcast carried the message that transformed a prisoner from the inside out.
It is tempting to solve our own problems, but true courage is refusing to rush what God has promised.
When faith and prayer join hands even in impossible circumstances, the message of Jesus keeps moving forward.
Job loss, sudden change, and closed doors can feel like failure—disruption may be part of God’s bigger story still unfolding.
Jesus is not absent from suffering. Your pain is known, shared and taken seriously by God.
Small compromises rarely feel dangerous—until they begin to dim the light we’re meant to shine.
A simple radio broadcast reaches a Turkish prison—and five men begin listening and learning of God’s good news together.
What do you do when you and another Jesus follower completely disagree—about politics, theology, or how to live out your faith?
A pastor, a drug dealer, a dark alley—and a moment that proved no one is beyond the reach of God’s love.
When a mother understood God’s sacrificial love of God for herself, she understood why she could trust her son to God.
Real faith doesn’t begin with an argument but with humility, listening and meeting people where they are.
The Bible tells stories of great faith long ago—but stories like Hannah’s—and yours are still being written right now.
How one woman discovered that the world’s most famous book still speaks personally—through a simple radio broadcast.
Healthy relationships aren’t built by avoiding conflict, but by learning how to repair it.
Following Jesus is meant to be done together, not alone—and real community is built through everyday choices.
Exploring humanity’s oldest question—what happens after death—and the Bible’s answer of life forever through faith in Jesus.
When fatigue brings out our worst, God offers his strength to live with kindness toward others.
Here is a practical reflection on how to discern God’s quiet, trustworthy voice amid the many competing voices of our noisy world.
While faith is practiced freely in some places, others follow Jesus at great cost. We’re called to carry each other’s burdens as one body.
Here’s a reminder that rest is not weakness, but a God-given source of strength for weary souls.
Let’s reflect on how praying “Our Father” can expand our hearts and change the way we see the people God loves around us.
Jesus modeled how to listen with kindness and value relationships when disagreement runs deep.
Even good things can leave us empty when we rely on them for the security and hope that only God offers.
God sees hidden pain, heals deep wounds and brings lasting transformation to a broken heart.
Here is your invitation to trust God with your children—and with the next season of your own life.
When generosity feels exhausting and unfair, what does it mean to go the extra mile and where does that kind of strength come from?
Rebuild connection and help your marriage flourish with these four simple everyday practices that help us put on love in practical ways.
A soldier returned from war ready to give up—until he heard about God’s love and discovered his life truly mattered.
Accepting imperfection brings relief, but Scripture shows how weakness becomes powerful when God meets us there.
Many people want God’s blessings without full surrender—but real faith begins when obedience shapes everyday life.
In a quiet village in Kyrgyzstan, a woman longing to hear “I love you” discovers a deeper love that never lets go.
Human nature pushes us to get the most while giving the least. That same mindset often shows up in our relationship with God.
When Fanta faced betrayal and deep disappointment with God, a message from Lamentations in her own language helped her discover His compassion in her pain.
Here’s a real-life glimpse of the lavish, undeserved grace God delights to give His children.
In a world divided by political tribes, discover the deeper belonging God created you for in the Body of Christ.
We rush past people every day—but Jesus didn’t. How taking an interest in others, can transform someone’s life…and ours.
Jesus knew those who follow Him would face difficulty but He promised God’s provision of exactly the help that would be needed.
Making plans and then actually following through is a way of showing integrity and it’s what pleases God.
Are you willing to allow God to put you in a place where only His power will enable you to move forward?
Sometimes we need another set of eyes and ears to find out way clear when we’re overwhelmed.
The tendency to panic is universal but the best thing to do in crisis is to wait on God for direction.
Heaven will be filled with God’s people from everywhere but they need to hear of Jesus now.
True identity and worth aren’t found in outward appearance but in God’s design and call.
What would your reaction be if you found yourself suffering because of following Jesus?
Forgiveness brings release, but God calls us to take a step further—toward reconciliation, where broken relationships can truly be healed.
A dream of Jesus stirred questions that led to a secret prayer—and awakened a new life of peace.
Seven devotional books a day. That’s what one woman believed would guarantee God’s blessing—until she learned the truth.
God’s presence and timing are our true security, and a relationship with Him is what enables us to face life’s fiercest threats with peace. Discover how a promise from Psalm 91 turned a Mongolian mother’s winter crisis into peace.
Whether it takes place in Scripture or in a modern hospital room, meeting God face-to-face changes everything.
The same Jesus who answered a mother’s cry for help has sent His Spirit to walk with us, giving strength we could never find on our own.
Hiding our mess never works—healing comes when we bring it into the light together and pray for one another.
In a village without religious freedom, Nertila discovered that true freedom isn’t found in circumstances—it’s found in Jesus.
Have you prayed about a need, a desire or a loved one until you felt you couldn't go on?
If you haven’t interacted with Scripture today, put everything else down, turn everything off and drink up its God-breathed, life-giving words like a hungry newborn.
A life of spiritual discernment is one that navigates choices from love for Jesus rather than from a knowledge base.
As we simply go about our lives, God intervenes to bring about His miraculous purposes through what we might call interruptions.
When tragedy strikes, there are three simple practices, based on the words of Jesus, which can help.
True strength and lasting joy are not found in circumstances but in seeking God wholeheartedly and resting in His plans.
Are you struggling to understand why God allows certain things? The Bible reminds us that while God’s secrets belong to Him, He’s revealed everything we need to know to live by faith and obedience today.
What if your life were called in tonight—are you rich toward God? Jesus’ parable of the rich fool reminds us that everything we have, even our very breath, is on loan from Him.
Feeling like all hope is gone? Discover how Jesus’ deep compassion for a grieving widow in Luke 7 shows that God still sees your pain—and still has the power to bring life out of loss.
Have you ever prayed when there was no Plan B—when only God could come through? Discover how desperate, faith-filled prayer moves the heart of God and invites His power into impossible situations.
Stuck in destructive habits? God promises a way out—and the strength to walk in freedom.
The same Spirit who gives every believer life can also give us extraordinary faith to trust God beyond what we can imagine.
Even the smallest faith, when placed in a limitless God, can move mountains and make the impossible possible.
Faith grows when we draw near to God—listening to His Word, trusting His character, and letting the Holy Spirit help us believe Him more deeply.
Great faith isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about giving God glory while trusting He’ll do what He’s promised, even when the outcome seems impossible.
Two friends. One Bible. Two opposite conclusions. How do we find truth when even Christians disagree?
Can justice and love coexist? This story of a king and his daughter reveals the answer—and points to the cross.
Our attention spans are shrinking, but getting out into God’s creation reveals God and renews our minds.
If guilt is haunting you, there’s good news: God can forgive, restore, and even renew your conscience.
How do you know if it’s real love—or control disguised as care? Not all love is healthy. God calls us to give—and receive—a love that’s safe and kind.
God’s plan for fellowship is still good—discover how real Christ-centered community heals.
When life feels empty, God’s promises still hold. See how one farmer’s simple act of faith opened the door to God’s surprising provision.
Carrying the weight of a secret? No mistake is too big for God’s forgiveness and a fresh start.
Many think God is watching to catch us doing wrong. Scripture reveals He's looking to bless and strengthen hearts turned toward Him.
You’ve known your mother’s voice since before birth—what if you could know God’s just as clearly?
God’s love doesn’t remove consequences. He uses them to grow us and walks with us through every outcome we face.
Worried about the world we live in? God gives enough for today and sure hope for tomorrow.
What if a person’s behavior isn’t the whole story—and your response could reflect God’s love?
When money runs short, it’s easy to feel trapped and desperate. But what if the real way out isn’t more money—but more wisdom?
What if the hardest parts of your life aren’t the end of your story—but the doorway to something deeper, something eternal?
One man’s mercy and kindness turned an implement of war into an object of beauty that hints at what God promises in the future.
When someone wounds your heart, what you do next will either begin healing—or invite infection.
Responding to anger with gentleness, rather than matching its intensity, reflets God's wisdom and defuses conflict.
Is the life you've built on your own version of truth keeping you from the freedom God offers?
Surrender of our lives to God invites His presence to fill us, to live within us and make our lives be what they were always supposed to be.
When we ache to know what comes next, it’s because our hearts were made for the final chapter only God can write.
Intimacy with God and clarity about what really matters waits for us when our faith that no longer rests in outcomes, but in Him.
A minister asked AI to write a prayer—and it sounded perfect. But was it praise? Not even close.
Explore how shame—whether from your past or someone else’s actions—can be released. Jesus offers freedom from shame and a new identity.
The Bible is also called God’s Word. It reveals who God is, and it helps us understand who we are, too.
Discover how Jesus broke cultural barriers to affirm and send women as messengers of the gospel.
When we’re hurting, more than answers or solutions, we often long for someone who truly understands— someone who will sit with us in the pain and not look away.
What does God’s strength in our daily lives look like? Does it make life easier? Does it mean we won’t have as many troubles?
We often think of sin as just bad behavior— lying, stealing, hurting others. But the Bible describes sin as something deeper: a broken foundation.
Discover how God designed women to carry life-changing news—and how those same voices can bring hope today.
Before the words—which don’t need to be perfect, comes a life of love and peace lived out loud.
When you’re running low on almost everything, God is ready to lift you up—just like He did for David.
When Amina first became a Christian, she had a big question: “Do Christians believe in one God or three?”
Many people see singleness as something to escape from, a waiting period before “real life” begins. But God doesn’t see it that way— and neither should we.
God coordinates people, circumstances and timing so that His love and offer of salvation can be shared.
We can trust the God who is always at work on our behalf and keep on praying for answers.
When we hold on to heart hurts, we risk letting bitterness take root, growing into something that hurts us and others far more than the original wound ever did.
Words shape our families, communities, and faith. But how often do we stop to consider the weight of our words?
We need to know exactly what God says about us because His view is very different than ours.
Do you ever catch yourself running worst-case scenarios in your mind? Anxiety often disguises itself as preparation, but in reality, it can trap us in fear.
Have you ever felt like no matter what you do, life just keeps knocking you down? Discover how to break the mindset that says, I have no control, and things will always be this way.
God welcomes you to talk with Him specifically in prayer because He cares for you personally.
Loneliness isn't just about being alone. It's about feeling unseen, disconnected but God has an invitation for you.
What do you do when no one's looking? Don't underestimate the importance of being honest with yourself when you answer!
Scars are reminders of pain we've endured— moments we'd often rather forget. But here's something extraordinary: Jesus has scars too.
How do you handle rejection? Your sense of identity can make you more resilient when rejections come!
Sometimes, even what seem like good things can become barriers to the deeper work God wants to do in our lives.
Beyond meeting our needs, the God of the Bible is the God that takes us deeper—to give us Himself.
Do my habits matter? Healthy habits can be the difference between joyfully obeying God and struggling in a constant state of exhaustion.
This story of a Bible, a love letter, and God's relentless pursuit will leave you amazed.
If you've ever scrolled through your news feed or watched the headlines, you might feel like the world is in a constant state of crisis. Where is hope today?
Kindness isn't just about how we speak in good moments, but about how we treat each other in the tough ones.
It's not about what we deserve, but what God created us to experience in relationship with Him.
God wants relationship with you, and He gave you living words to help you live everyday with Him.
Embrace your weaknesses, for in them, God's strength shines brightest, making you more than capable of fulfilling His purpose.
Sometimes, it's not what we say, but how we serve, that opens hearts to the message of Jesus.
Even when God's ways are mysterious, trust that He is at work, creating paths where none seem possible and leading you through every storm with His perfect plan.
Before you close your eyes tonight, take a moment to reflect, examine your day, and turn back to the Lord in prayer, asking for His peace and guidance.
Instead of rushing into panic-driven decisions, take a step back, pray, breathe, and wait on the Lord, trusting that He will strengthen your heart and guide you.
Though we must go through the pain, God promises to be with us, bringing us through to the other side where He will wipe away every tear.
True significance isn’t measured by accomplishments or outward appearances, but by a heart that reflects kindness, humility, and love.
Fix your eyes on Jesus, and you'll find life and peace—distraction leads only to despair.
In moments of helplessness, fix your eyes on God's power and the promises of Scripture.
True love for Jesus is not about following a set of rules to earn His affection, but about responding to His love by following Him and obeying His commands.
In the darkest moments, when all hope seems lost, God's tender mercy is the promise that the morning light will break through, guiding us to peace.
Rest isn't just a pause from work; it's a rhythm woven into our lives by God—a rhythm that refreshes our body and soul, drawing us closer to His presence.
Complaining can cloud our view of God's faithfulness, but prayer with thanksgiving invites His peace and reminds us of all He has done.
God hears every prayer, even when we can’t see the answer—praying with faith and the Holy Spirit’s help opens our hearts to His will.
God’s promises are the light that guides us through life’s darkest valleys, reminding us that the future is always bright with Him.
True transformation happens when we stay connected to Jesus, the source of all fruitfulness.
God invites you to transform your thinking, so you can embrace His perfect will for your life.
Living the 'Whatever Life' means standing firm in faith, no matter the challenges you face.
In the midst of life’s struggles, God stands as a steady refuge for those who trust Him.
Think you're standing tall? Pride has a way of making us stumble—God invites us to walk humbly instead.
Feeling the weight of doing it all on your own? True strength comes from relying on the One who equips you.
God’s expectation for us is simple: to accept His love, live in relationship with Him, and love others as He has loved us.
God's covenant of love is unbreakable—depend on Him, for He is faithful to fulfill His promises to those who trust in Him.
Celebrate the joy in your life today, remembering that true joy comes from God's presence, not just from life's milestones.
Let go of unrealistic expectations in relationships and trust God to guide you in setting healthy ones.
Don’t fear disappointment—place your hope in God, who promises to never fail or abandon you.
Kind words are like honey—sweet to the soul and healthy for the body; let’s build each other up with encouragement.
True romance begins when we turn to God, whose everlasting love satisfies our deepest needs.
Conflict in relationships isn’t something to fear, but an opportunity for God to shape us into His image through the Holy Spirit.
God’s presence is with us in every moment, turning ordinary tasks into sacred opportunities to connect with Him.
Gratitude transforms our perspective, turning everyday moments into opportunities to recognize God's constant presence and goodness.
Let your speech be filled with grace and kindness, always aimed at building up and guiding each other toward becoming who God created us to be—loving sacrificially in every conversation.
While our scars may reflect the pain we’ve endured, Jesus' scars remind us that through His suffering, we are healed, restored, and redefined by His love and sacrifice.
Millie's prayer, 'God, make me willing to be made willing,' reflects the deep, ongoing journey of surrendering our hearts and desires to God's will, just as Corrie Ten Boom experienced through the power of forgiveness.
Anuja Lal embodies the powerful message that women are pioneers in God's Kingdom, spreading the good news of peace and salvation through relationships, one conversation at a time.
Just like pacers guide elite runners to set world records, the Holy Spirit leads us with perfect pace; staying in step with Him brings grace and direction to our lives.
Spiritual growth requires intentional connection with God; when we feel distant, it's not God who has moved, but we, and He's always calling us back to Himself.
In the breaking of a seed, the promise of new life emerges—just as our own brokenness can bring forth a deeper connection with others and a fuller transformation through Jesus.
Just as Nicodemus came to Jesus in the darkness of night, we too must step into the light, allowing God's Holy Spirit to open our eyes and lead us into the truth of His love.
Eternal life is not just about living forever—it's about knowing the only true God and deepening our relationship with Jesus, a connection that transforms every aspect of our lives.
In the midst of life's brokenness, God's presence is the path to true joy, where His love transforms even the life we never wanted into something beautiful.
Life's fleeting moments can't fulfill our deepest longings, but in Jesus, we find the meaning that lasts forever.
Forgiveness isn’t easy, but when we trust God to handle justice, we are released from the prison of bitterness and free to heal.
When life feels overwhelming, remember that it’s not by your strength, but by God’s Spirit that you are empowered to fulfill His calling.
Though life is filled with loss and decay, Jesus promises eternal life for those who believe in Him, offering hope beyond this world.
God hears us the first time we pray, but perseverance in prayer deepens our trust in His perfect timing.
Even when prayers seem unanswered, God is working behind the scenes in ways we can't always see.
In times of sorrow and crisis, the Bible offers us enduring hope, comfort, and the living presence of God’s truth. It is a faithful friend that will not abandon us, giving us strength and peace amidst life's trials.
Our hearts can deceive us, but Jesus calls us to keep watch and pray, seeking His mercy and grace to help us in our weakness and protect us from temptation.
When you're in a dry valley, remember God's promises to answer, never abandon you, and provide refreshing in the midst of your distress, turning your barren place into a source of life.
God calls us to live beautifully, with our lives as a work of art, reflecting His creativity, truth, and beauty, so others may see our good works and glorify Him.
While no one can be good enough on their own, the good news of Christianity is that through Jesus' sacrifice, we are offered eternal life, not by our goodness, but by His love and grace.
Following Jesus doesn’t promise a trouble-free life, but it does guarantee that we are never abandoned, and our struggles will not destroy us, for God is with us, working good in all things.
True love isn't about changing others but accepting them as they are, focusing on our own actions, offering compliments, and building a relationship with prayer and forgiveness at the center.
In our suffering, God's grace holds us, reminding us that even in our pain, there is redemption, and His power is made perfect in our weakness.
God uses others to help and encourage us along our journey toward Christlikeness, shining light on the areas that need attention and surrounding us with a support team of fellow believers.
Remembering God's personal goodness to me helps me face my present and trust Him with my future.
Just because you can't imagine how God will meet the need you are facing today, doesn't mean He can't and won't meet it!
Learning to speak each other's love language takes effort, but that's what love does—it makes the extra effort to demonstrate care.
Find out why faith isn't about coming to God on a particular day or in a certain mood. It's about coming to Him anytime, every day, just as you are.
: Learn to walk the road from anxiety to peace. Instead of finding safety in our control, we're learning to celebrate God's control.
How can followers of Jesus have hope in sickness? Learn the promise that guarantees hope in pain!
God always wants us to be growing and sometimes that calls for the removal of relationships, habits or patterns of thinking.
How you answer or never get around to answering, this one question, has eternal significance.
Have you ever felt the disappointment and shock of your entire worldview shifting? Disillusionment is one of God's tools to help us grow!
Set aside the fear of looking foolish and embrace the joy that comes with following God wholeheartedly!
God uses time as a tool in our lives, but He always finishes what He starts and does it perfectly.
If you follow Jesus, He's calling you to bear His Spirit in welcoming conversation and relationship with people who don't agree with you.
When you listen to stories of heartbreak and struggle often enough, you notice something: many people don't just endure their pain-- they find value in it.
How can God use our weakness? Find out when to persevere through fatigue to see God's glory!
When Jesus works through you, you can expect to see unexpected outcomes that far exceed what you could ever do on your own.
God's personal presence, not the details of His plan, is what we need to face the future.
Whatever loss you're facing today, whatever difficulty you're going through, God loves you and is for you.
Invisible battles of anxiety, fear and brokenness are real and so is the God of the Bible.
Even in crushing disappointments, God welcomes us to come to Him with all our feelings.
Families can be a source of joy, but they’re often a source of tension too. Find out how God is challenging you to grow in love!
Gratitude and trust in God's provision in our own challenges, no matter how big or small, is a choice.
What is the point to all the hardships we face? What does God have to say about our troubles?
We can’t expect others to read our minds, but we can live out the principle of treating others with the clarity and understanding we want for ourselves.
Only when we value others as God does can have mutual love and respect for one another.
When we ask Jesus to align our thoughts with His, we'll see our words bring life to others.
In a world of differences, we often separate ourselves to be with those most like us. Is this God’s plan? Far from it!
Whether we realize it or not, we all have a spiritual thirst that only Jesus can quench.
Kindness may seem simple, but it has the power to transform hearts, including our own, and reflect the boundless forgiveness we've received in Christ.
True disciples of Jesus are known by one defining characteristic: their unmistakable, generous love for one another.
In moments of humility and self-realization, we encounter God's grace and freedom, as Isaiah 61:1-3 proclaims that the Lord has come to bring good news, comfort the brokenhearted, and offer a crown of beauty for ashes.
In the face of tragedy, it's vital to support children by comforting them, slowing down, answering their questions, allowing for grief, and offering physical closeness, as Romans 12:15 reminds us to "rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."
We're quick to judge others, but God calls us to stop condemning and instead live in a way that builds up, knowing we'll each give a personal account to Him.
When we reach the end of our own strength, God’s grace steps in, revealing that His power works best in our weakness.
True healing begins with genuine confession, not just a quick apology, allowing us to fully acknowledge our wrongs and seek meaningful restoration.
God's love is infinitely vast, beyond our full understanding, yet it is the key to experiencing the fullness of life and the extraordinary power He wants to work within us.
True safety unlocks courage, and with God as our protector, we can live without fear, no matter what challenges we face.
When we experience genuine love, it's easier to trust in it—just as we can trust in the deep, unfailing love God has for us.
If we, flawed as we are, know how to care for our children, how much more will our perfect heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him?
Jesus challenges us to love our enemies and pray for those who hurt us, revealing that true transformation of our hearts comes through persistent, heartfelt prayer.
True love, as defined by Scripture, goes beyond our flawed experiences and misconceptions, offering patience, kindness, and enduring hope through every circumstance.
Even as the ultimate judge, God is uniquely characterized by His unfailing love and mercy, offering forgiveness and grace rather than harsh judgment.
Even in the midst of challenging circumstances, focusing on God can bring a perfect peace that transforms our lives and those around us.
The transformative power of God’s kindness can heal our deepest wounds and lead us away from sin, revealing the true essence of His love and patience.
Our deep yearning for beauty is a reflection of our desire to know God, and as we let Him remove the veil of sin, we become transformed into His glorious image, revealing His beauty to the world.
In a world overflowing with distractions and demands, Jesus reveals that the key to a fulfilling life is to focus our hearts, souls, and minds entirely on loving God above all else.
Even in the face of deep betrayal, Jesus offers us the profound gift of reconciliation, inviting us to heal our relationship with God and extend that same grace to others.
In a world full of differing opinions and disagreements, let your response be marked by love, respect, and a commitment to peace, showing the world the true essence of honoring others.
In times of pain, what people truly need is not just sympathy, but empathetic presence—walking alongside them in their suffering and offering genuine understanding.
To break free from false beliefs and create lasting change, immerse yourself in God's Word, allowing His truth to form new, life-giving pathways in your mind.
No matter how far we've fallen, it is the undeserved grace of Jesus that not only forgives us but also empowers us to change and live a new life in Him.
Just as an architect thrives within boundaries, God calls us to guard our hearts and set limits, guiding us toward a life of purpose, peace, and protection.
Real transformation and peace come not from our own efforts, but from letting the Holy Spirit guide our thoughts and actions, leading us to true life.
No matter how alone you feel in your struggles, Jesus, who has walked the road of suffering Himself, understands your pain and invites you to boldly seek His grace and mercy.
Regret can imprison you, but godly sorrow opens the door to repentance, healing, and a new beginning.
God knows every detail of your heart and still loves you completely, offering a safe place to be fully known.
In a world that often suppresses grief, Jesus promises comfort to those who mourn, inviting us to embrace our sorrow and find healing.
Stealing isn't just about taking possessions; it’s about taking time, recognition, and opportunities for growth from others, often without realizing it.
Your thoughts shape your reality, and if you don't take control of them, they'll shape you; it's time for a thought audit to reclaim your mind and your life.
Embracing your new identity in Christ means more than just believing in transformation—it's about living out the truth that the old life is gone and a new life has begun.
Even the deepest regrets and darkest pasts are no match for the boundless grace of Jesus, who offers forgiveness and renewal to anyone who approaches Him with a humble heart.
In the face of seemingly insurmountable hopelessness, God’s unfailing love transforms lives, offering purpose and renewal to those who place their trust in Him.
Our deepest longings for connection and meaning reflect a divine purpose planted in our hearts by God, and though these desires may drive us to seek fulfillment in many ways, true satisfaction is found only in Him.
When overwhelmed by too much responsibility, take a lesson from Moses and seek wise counsel to help distribute the load and bring clarity to your tasks.
When we reach the end of our strength, God tenderly meets us with the care and healing we need, addressing our deepest wounds with wisdom and compassion.
Even in the darkest moments of life, we find hope through Jesus, who has overcome the world and offers redemption that transforms our despair into enduring hope.
Bullies have existed throughout history, but the Bible shows us that God sees our suffering and stands with those who are oppressed, bringing justice and hope.
God uses repetition in our lives to emphasize His messages and promises, reminding us to listen closely when His words come around again.
Faith often lives in the tension between our struggles and God's timing, trusting that He is still in control, even when the wait feels long.
When God chose to reveal Himself, He didn’t use fleeting images but the enduring power of words—calling us to anchor our lives in His written truth.
As members of Christ’s body, we are united beyond borders, cultures, and nations, called to love and support one another as citizens of one heavenly Kingdom.
When you invite God into your life, He begins a transformative work that may feel messy at times, but rest assured, He’s crafting a masterpiece far beyond your expectations.
True love isn't just spoken—it's shown by using what you have in your hands to meet the needs within your reach.
In a world overwhelmed by immense need, true peace comes from quieting our hearts, trusting in God, and faithfully doing the small tasks He places before us.
When life is turned upside down, the righteous respond with unwavering faith, trusting in God's promises and doing the next thing in front of them.
You can respond to a request for prayer by praying with someone you're conversing with right then and there. Immediate prayer invites another into sacred conversation and, hopefully, brings immediate encouragement.
The Bible sets a high standard for the way followers of Jesus interact with others. Always be humble and gentle. Make allowance for others' faults.
Think about the great ruins of the world-- the Pyramids of Egypt or Stonehenge in England. Ruins make us stop and wonder, what happened here?
What's better than perfection? Celebrating the journey of humble people who grow, repair relationships, and model repentance!
God invites us to turn to Him, rather than away, when we are crushed with sorrow, anger or confusion.
The world's conflicts reflect a deeper issue in our hearts: the struggle for peace and reconciliation.
When faced with global suffering, find out how Jesus invites you to a hope that takes action!
Is God looking for perfect people? Does He discard us when we fail, looking for better, flawless people?
Aside from our basic needs for food, shelter, and friendship, we all long for purpose that gives us direction and satisfaction!
For those without a personal relationship with God, uncertainty can be terrifying! Find out where you can rediscover real assurance.
Even in frustrated plans, we can trust that God is working His better plan that we can't see yet.
God's miraculous work is evident, even in our imperfect and fallen world, filled with sin and brokenness.
Love that pays attention to the small things is a love that can be trusted and relied on.
Jesus's Downward Plunge and the Upward Resurrection enables us have personal relationship with God. Jesus made the way.
Did you know that part of following Jesus is letting Him change us--how we think, how we spend money, and what we prioritize?
How often do we yearn for a different life rather than believe we can meet God in our current circumstances?
How are we to walk through grief and loss? Are we just supposed to get over it as quickly as possible?
How do I handle disabilities and limitations? Discover this simple prayer to take you from shame to sanctuary!
The secret to hospitality is simpler than you think: Open your home even when you don’t have much!
God always offers us encouragement when we are continuing to love and wait for healing of a broken relationship.
You are unique and God will speak very personally to you if you are His and you'll listen.
God's way of doing relationship isn't what comes naturally to us, especially when there's a disparity of power between people.
When God brings sin to light, it's not for the purpose of punishment, but rather a sign of His deep care for us.
You can live with hope in the strong, trustworthy, unshakeable reality the ultimate outcome God has for you.
Here's the key to meeting God in today's chaos: learn to see the hard things as still capable of being good.
Forgiveness can be made cheap and powerless if we don't first understand the real work and change required of us during repentance.
Jesus’s life holds hope both as we look back on all He has done and as we look ahead and know He’s not finished working in our lives!
When we say no to living as prisoners of our own fears or selfish desires, it's then that we experience the most satisfying, joyous self-fulfillment.
Are you too tired to even take a real refreshing break? Discover 6 types of rest commonly forgotten when we’re most exhausted.
God forgives sin but His love for us allows consequences to stop us from destroying ourselves.
Have you ever felt tortured over the fall out of your mistakes or others? The Bible has a message of hope for you!
We spend so much of life battling injustice, but did you know that fairness isn't only impossible but is also not powerful enough to change hearts? Find out what can!
Are there tables in my life that I need to figuratively flip, realigning my values with those of Jesus?
In any economy, in any crisis, in any impossible circumstances Jesus is infinitely more than able to meet all of your needs.
Jesus taught us that prayer was all about acknowledging our need and asking for God's sufficiency.
Have you ever experienced that sickening feeling in your gut when you know you've done something wrong and hidden it?
Your reputation is what the world sees, but your character is what your family sees. Who are you behind closed doors and under pressure?
When we take the time to meaningfully greet each other in our comings and goings, there's an opportunity for deeper connection.
Just as Jesus was interested in others, we can cultivate the habit of being interested in others as well.
God wants to use you for his work after already factoring in your past failures, your present limitations, and the imperfections of your future.
It's easy to feel you've only earned a break after you prove yourself but did you know God wants you to find your identity in the gift of His rest?
God turns our idea of love around and asks us to consider what we can give, rather than what we can get
Jesus invites you out of a transactional world all about what you can get from others and into a relationship where you can freely give and freely receive.
God wants to make us aware of our unconsciously committed "spontaneous sins" and free us from them.
As you face intimidating challenges, God’s promise to you is surprisingly simple, yet answers every one of our fears.
When we trust God in our pain, He uses it to accomplish something that is so much bigger than ourselves and that lasts forever.
God always welcomes us to go to Him for perspective and wisdom--even for the smallest things in life that discourage us.
God always welcomes us to go to Him for perspective and wisdom--even for the smallest things in life that discourage us.
Are you so concerned with what's to come you're missing God's presence with you in the here and now?
Peacemaking isn't for the faint of heart! Discover what it means to create peace, fight for healing, and build bridges.
Jesus is always at work in the lives of His followers and so, the Christian view is always one of hope.
Under the crippling weight of life’s burdens, there is no one who comes so close or offers such tangible help as Jesus!
Often, we operate in the arrogant presumption that we can strut up to God and demand He take our side.
Wherever you live, there are people around you who desperately long to hear the word "Welcome!"
Jesus holds space for dark days, and places value on acknowledging and wrestling with questions and doubts.
There will always be problems and trials in this life and the follower of Jesus never faces them alone.
Do you know the secret for growing in understanding the Bible and letting it change you?
Ever wonder what the secret is to surviving parenting? It's harder, simpler, and more comforting than you think.
The Bible teaches that there is no way that we can make ourselves more loveable to God and no way that we can make themselves unlovable to God.
God promises to help us move away from the pride of being right all of the time when we’re willing to respond to His correction.
In the wake of disappointments, we’re reminded to place our hope entirely in Jesus, not in the way that people represent Him.
You have thousands of God's promises and the gift of presence to share with someone who's hurting just as you are.
What does it mean to live as children of God shining like bright lights in a world flooded with darkness?
Too many people have learned only enough about Jesus to choose to follow Him and receive His forgiveness--but then their eyes are right back on themselves.
Marriage based on human love has fallen short but God has a different, unfailing formula.
You live within a universe created by the original artist, every star and leaf designed to reveal God to you.
Pausing for prayer and recentering on God is the secret to living without anxiety in uncertain times.
Everyone experiences mistreatment but it’s especially important for followers of Jesus to understand the role of mistreatment in their lives and Jesus’s model for our response.
God wants the invitation to know and worship Jesus to be given to all people, in every language!
God's Spirit can help you to respond in that split second before our anger creates disaster.
God takes the worst parts of our stories and reputations--the most painful truths about us, and longs give each of us a new name of hope.
Being resilient doesn't mean you're invincible. Here's where to turn when you're struggling!
Try living the Jesus way of love and be prepared for those around you to be surprised...and delighted.
Bulan's husband often beat her.
Bulan had decided to follow Jesus years before, but she'd stopped attending church in her anger with God. She was confused that He would allow such horrible circumstances in her life.
Have you ever said, "I'll believe it when I see it?" It's hard to take things on faith.
Bullets into crosses. Artists of the West African country of Liberia have found a way to point to hope through an object of death.
What is the greatest surprise you have found about life?" a university student once asked a famous spiritual leader during a lecture.
It's hard to believe, but one out of every three people on earth today have never heard about it.
"I have absolutely no advice for you." When was the last time you heard that from a friend?
It was a television talk show episode like no other—every person in the studio audience went home with a new car!
The last thing you want to do in an emergency is stand around and wait. But that's exactly what God told someone in trouble to do.
Apple founder, Steve Jobs, once remarked: "You have one option when it comes to your heart—follow it." Was he right?
A respected preacher of the past had four sons who also grew up to be great preachers like their dad. The youngest son once asked, "Dad, who is the greatest preacher in the family?" The dad "looked hard at each son in turn and then, with a twinkle in his eye said, 'Your Mother!'"[1]
[1] Cole-Rous, Jim. “The Mother of RufusJim.” JourneyOnline, 14 Feb. 2022, journeyonline.org/lessons/the-mother-of-rufus/?series=8751.
When we ask God to guide us, it might come as a surprise to discover He often leads us on a longer, more meandering journey. His paths often involve delays, challenges, and setbacks, teaching us countless lessons we didn’t know we needed. With God, it's not just about the destination. He wants to teach us that we can trust and rely on Him—and He throws in some patience, humility, and love along the way!
Sherry's favorite place to be is in the mountains. She says, "Staring at those magnificent mountains, it is easy to feel very small and insignificant."
In the emergency room of a hospital, an entire team works rapidly with everything medical science can bring, passionately trying to save a life.
Google "Who was Jesus?" and you'll get more than a billion results in just over half a second.
When she was eight years old, Lucia was adopted, plucked out of a life on the streets in Latin America.
When you pray to God, how do you imagine Him? Is He close by or far away in space somewhere?
It's easy to think the greatest danger in our lives is falling behind. But what if the biggest trap most of us fall into is constant, frenzied rushing?
What does it mean to win? A famous American football coach once said, "Winning isn't getting ahead of others. It's getting ahead of yourself."[1]
[1] Kerr-Dineen, Luke. "The 48 Greatest Quotes about Winning-Roger Staubach" USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 4 Aug. 2022, ftw.usatoday.com/2018/02/best-sports-quotes-about-winning.
Her brightly printed t-shirt read, "Too blessed to be stressed, too anointed to be disappointed."
While Jesus offers us satisfaction in His love, profound purpose, unexplainable peace, and joyful strength, the path to receiving it is called a narrow and difficult path of sacrifice.
It's common to look at the people around us and wish they would become more loving, patient, understanding, and motivated, but God calls us to first look at where we need to grow.
Discover the secret weapon God gives you for processing and releasing fear and anxiety.
Creative, capable stewardship of our time, money, work and relationships is developed little by little.
Are you suffering with sorrow over what you've lost in this life and all that could have been?
We can almost entirely predict how we will walk with God based on how we think He feels about us. So how does God really feel about you?
Did you know it's a legal requirement to smile at all times except at funerals or hospitals in Milan, Italy? Or that on the island of Samoa it's illegal to forget your wife's birthday?
Demetri started following Jesus several years ago, and in that time, he'd stopped doing drugs. But then...he relapsed.
Just when you were wondering about your self-identity, a glossy ad for luxurious kitchen and bath fixtures comes in the mail. The text beneath the photos? Your home is who you are.
Each of us looks at life through a lens that's called our worldview and there are many different influences that inform that worldview.
Are you good enough for God? The idea that our goodness earns us favor with God is held by many cultures and religions.
One step forward, two steps back. No one likes to feel that their life is going nowhere, or worse, that they're a failure.
Have you ever wondered how much better life would be if only this thing or that thing hadn't happened to you?
Do you know how to pray? You can actually get to the heart of prayer in a few simple words.
Hadah loved to pray when she was doing well in life. Then at other times, she wanted to hide from God. After a hard week of moral failures, Hadah didn't know what to say in prayer. She'd better stay away from God, she thought, until life was better-- until she was better.
A non-profit that brings clean water to communities ran a commercial. People were shown in poverty-stricken, hot, dusty places before and after a refreshing source of water arrived to change their lives. The commercial ended with the faces of smiling villagers and the words: Human dignity... just add water.
Not all of us have exemplary examples of a loving Father. When the Bible talks about God as a Father, it can mean very little to those who've never had a loving, present father. Human fathers like a man named Jim Redmond help us understand the truth of God's great love.
It's normal to feel overwhelmed by circumstances in our lives, but sometimes those feelings can lead to patterns of self-pity whenever life is hard.
Everyone has experienced rejection. And no one likes it. Whether it's a breakup or not getting the job you wanted, everyone has been told at some point, "We're looking for someone else."
As he walked the streets of the city, the prostitutes, pimps, runaways, drug addicts and hustlers he saw, filled his heart with anguish. "All true passion of life comes out of anguish," David Wilkerson said, years after founding an international drug rehabilitation program. Teen Challenge has one of the highest success rates in the world. Wilkerson continued, "Search the scriptures and you'll find that when God determined to recover a ruined situation, He would share His own anguish for what God saw happening... He would find a praying man and He would take that man and literally baptize him in anguish."
I wish I had a better relationship with God. I wish I were better with finances. I wish I didn't feel anxious and afraid. It's easy to wish we were better.
We are natural born seekers. Ask the parent of any 2-year old who's had to answer "Why?" questions more times than you can count in a 24-hour period!
Imagine that you're an exhausted mother at home with two toddlers and a newborn baby. After little sleep most nights, you wake up to a messy house and piles of dirty laundry. Your days are weary blurs caring for little people as best you can. You usually make dinner, but one day your husband comes home to no dinner, children crying, the home a mess, and you on the brink of tears. Now this is a man who doesn't take excuses. He looks at the results! So, he yells at you, pointing out all your mistakes and all the ways you're not measuring up.
Mike loved to hike. You'd find him on a trail in all kinds of weather...that was until he got sick. Doctors think it started with a tick bite. These tiny insects can carry an infection-causing bacteria that spreads to joints, hearts and the nervous system. Mike couldn't remember getting bitten by a tick, but months of chronic illness had turned into years. He's prayed for healing, others have prayed for healing, but God hasn't granted it. "This is discouraging," Mike admits, "but like it says in scripture, God keeps carrying me onward."
If you've ever traveled to a foreign country, you've likely come across a confusing translation. Because each language expresses itself uniquely, there's not always a direct translation for what someone is trying to communicate.
He promised to be true to her forever...but that only lasted a few years. A person can seem trustworthy and upright on the outside while inside, they're and empty or rotten.
Cheri's mother loved her teacups. She also loved Cheri, although her own brokenness kept her from communicating that love to her daughter.
Many of us first realize how different we are from one another when first living with a roommate or a spouse. It's a quick jump from "Well, that's different..." to "Your way is wrong!"
Nothing shows you quite how temporary a material possession is... like having small children around! Sometimes it can feel like our children are drawn to our most precious and prized possessions. Inevitably, many end up cracked, stained, or broken after unsteady little hands have handled them. One mom was holding a brand new, beautiful pottery bowl when her son's tennis ball flew through the air, shattering it. Torn between laughing and crying, she concluded, "This is why we can't have nice things!"
No one wants to think that his or her life was wasted. But that's what happened to Finnur Magnusson.
In 1966, a famous western publication asked, "Is God Dead?"[1] The magazine article concluded that that the answer was, yes...but God apparently didn't get the news.
Think back to your school days, out on the playground. Did you ever experienced being picked first for a sport team?
Shared loss powerfully connects people, but we don't all have the same capacity to process deep loss.
When a best friend turns on you, it's one of the most painful things in life. How do you respond when you're wronged and worse...slandered?
Have you had coffee with a friend recently? If so, let me guess--you probably talked about how bad things are. Whether we're talking about politics, the economy or social fraying, things feel like they're falling apart. Where is God in the reality of the world and my life today? We desperately need to know if God is in our specific, relevant present.
Jessica learned at a very young age, to do the right thing, or else. As a preschooler, Jessica's pastor father interrupted his sermon one Sunday, snatched her from where she was noisily sitting on the front row with her mother, and carried her out of the church. Once he'd spanked her for her non-ok-in-church behavior, he carried her back in, deposited her next to her mother and finished his sermon!
After the 2023 Turkey earthquake, Ayaz traveled to the destroyed city of Antakya and distributed relief supplies. Yet, as he prepared to leave, he heard a woman's voice crying from the rubble.
He came from three generations of atheists. But this biochemist came face to face with the incredible complexity of what he studied, and later, Jesus Himself.
"What is your net worth?" a financial planner may ask you. It's an uncomfortable question to answer, because most likely the answer is: not very much!
It's been said that an elephant never forgets. One report documented two elephants that had been in a circus together 23 years earlier, reuniting with intense emotion.[1]
[1]Ritchie, James. “Fact or Fiction?: Elephants Never Forget.” Scientific American, 12 Jan. 2009, www.scientificamerican.com/article/elephants-never-forget/.
Have you ever heard or used the phrase "the good, old days"? Living in the past is a sad way to live.
Nicholas grew up in a large family. When he was 12, he heard about a drawing contest on the radio and carefully created an entry. The prize? $200 of new clothes from a local store.
When some people miss a meal they don't get hungry, they get hangry! Hangry is the state many people find themselves in when their blood sugar falls, they feel panicky, and their stomachs aren't the only thing that's growling. Anyone who's ever taken care of a baby knows about the unpleasantness of trying to comfort a hungry infant with anything other than what they want: milk!
Makena is a social worker in the HIV/AIDS epicenter of South Africa. Her days are filled with death, suffering.... and hope. She's raising 27 AIDS orphans while living next to the mass graves of those who've fallen to the disease. And yet, Makena shares the source of her hope with a quote from C.S. Lewis, saying, "Our longing for ultimate beauty, for perfect justice, for unending love, is a reflection of the greater reality that awaits us beyond the confines of this world. The weight of glory is the deep yearning within us, drawing us toward our true home and reminding us that we are made for something greater."[1]
[1]Lewis, C.S., (Clive Staples). "Introduction." The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses, HarperSanFrancisco, San Francisco, 2001, p.1.
We've all probably said something like this: You make me so mad! Or, You're stressing me out! Maybe your stress is triggered by traffic or your child throwing a tantrum. Either way, phrases like "You're making me mad" give away our power over our actions and emotions. We're essentially saying that other people's actions and circumstances control us.
The opening line of the email read: "I am a prince who needs your help to transfer a large sum of money. In return, I will reward you generously."[1]
There's an amazing story about a slave who becomes second in command of a powerful nation. His secret? God was with him.
Ever been on a roller coaster ride? You're strapped in for an intense time of climbing, dropping, twisting and turning, maybe even flipping upside down.
Victor's wife was touched by the beautiful, personalized poem he gave her for her birthday...that was until she discovered it had been written by AI, or artificial intelligence!
Antonio Monda has asked a lot of people this question: "Do you believe in God?" Monda asked everyone from strangers on the street to politicians and celebrities, about their belief or unbelief, saying, "I think it's the most important subject of...all times."[1] But for many, questions about faith bring up doubts. It's commonly thought that the opposite of faith is doubt, in the same way that many believe that the opposite of courage is fear. But we learn to be brave while feeling afraid. In the same way, we explore, strengthen, and grow in faith while wrestling with doubts. We start the faith journey holding questions and maybe even accusations against God. Then God does His work in our lives.
Sara struggles with depression. There's no simple fix, but one of her most powerful helps when she's spiraling, is an old journal.
Whether you fear it, have faith that gives you hope in it or just ignore it, all of us will experience death.
Were you raised to believe that it's impolite to say no. This can put you in some incredibly uncomfortable situations!
In an ancient fable, a mighty oak looks down on a humble reed who does not stand in the wind, but bends down before the tempest.
Manuel missed two whole weeks of school while sick, and when he returned, he couldn't believe how behind he was in his work.
Have you ever heard a piece of music so beautiful that it transcended whatever chaos, stress, or pain you were feeling?
Can you predict a divorce?” When asked about the signs that typically precede a divorce, a renowned marriage counselor shared that a major indicator leading to a split, is contempt for one another.[1] Contempt is defined as the feeling that a person or thing is worthless or beneath consideration.[2]
[1] Gottman, John. "The 6 Things That Predict Divorce." The Gottman Institute, www.gottman.com/blog/the-6-things-that-predict-divorce/. Accessed 19 May 2023.
[2] Oxford English Dictionary. "Contempt." Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 2021,https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/contempt. Accessed 19 May 2023.
When was the last time you said "I'm sorry, please forgive me? A common lesson in childhood is being taught to apologize. Acknowledging wrongs and promising to try to do better is at the heart of learning, growing, and reconciling with others. But many of us stop apologizing as soon as there's no one forcing us to do it!
Ever been asked, "What's your sign?" Since the beginning of time, we've wanted to know what's coming next, turning to fortune-tellers, tea leaves in teacups and horoscopes. Astrology is often viewed as little more than a fun conversation opener. But God alone is our only sure source of self-knowledge, understanding and guidance for the future. One writer puts it this way: "Astrology is an attempt by humans to find God's divine will through means other than what God has appointed and... attempts to attribute to the stars and planets power that belongs to God alone."[1]
[1] Grandchamp, Greg. “What Should Christians Know about the Study of Astrology?” Christianity.Com, 11 July 2022, www.christianity.com/wiki/cults-and-other-religions/what-should-christians-know-about-the-study-of-astrology.html.
Have you ever looked for God in times of trouble, questioning and loneliness? Mario wanted to go to church, but he had no car, and his badly injured leg made the 6-mile walk agonizingly painful, sometimes keeping him from getting there. On those days, he felt isolated and cut off from the world, wondering why God allowed his crooked leg or his wife's departure three years earlier. Alone with his unanswered questions, he thought God might help him if he could just get to church.
On the slopes of the mountains at the very tip of Africa you'll find the fynbos, a type of vegetation found nowhere else in the world.
Do you know what's required for prayer? Not big words. Not perfection. Not a church, temple or chapel. It's honesty.
Habits can bring life-giving structure to our lives. But a bad habit can keep generations stuck in cycles of brokenness and pain.
Financial experts tell us that investments carry risk, and higher risk tends to correlate with higher returns.
One of the richest men in history was once asked "How much money is enough money?" His reply? "Just a little bit more"[1].
[1] Biography.com Editors. "John D. Rockefeller Biography." The Biography.com website, A&E Television Networks, 2 April 2014, https://www.biography.com/business-leaders/john-d-rockefeller. Accessed April 27, 2023.
If you've ever been married, you know how feelings for your spouse can change from one day to the next.
Have you ever wanted anything so much that you think about it all the time, even begged God for it?
Has there been a time in your life when you really wished you wouldn't wake up the next morning?
It's called reality tv. It's unscripted, filmed with real people and often reveals that in real life, we don't get along with each other all that well.
Have you ever watched a cat or dog basking in the sunshine? Animals always make time to stretch out in the golden calm in a garden or city ledge.
Can you imagine working in the best restaurant in the world and dropping a plate of food about to be served?
It's easy to point out where someone else can improve. But it's harder to take a look at our ourselves.
What is faith? Many people talk about faith as believing with all your heart, but it's more than that.
It's been said that you don't know what you had, until you've lost it. But as deep as your loss may be, there's a joy that's deeper.
Have you ever done work that you didn't end up getting paid for? You were no doubt unhappy...and so was God.
Crushing disappointment is one of the most challenging emotions to navigate because disappointment can stamp out hope.
Do you remember what you said as a kid, when a sibling tried to tell you what to do? Did you yell, "You're not the boss of me?"
Marco was an ambitious young man with lofty dreams who fell into a deep depression after getting fired from his job. He had taken some big risks, and caused his company big losses. His father visited him and told him something that would change his life. He said, "Your whole life, you've defined success as making it big, only letting yourself be happy if you did. But that's never how we've defined success. God loves you, and if you spend your life loving Him, that will be your success."
One of the most inspirational people to ever live was born without the ability to see or hear. Her name was Helen Keller.
How would you define leadership? Is it more than just getting people to do what you want them to do?
Most of us assume that we're right and know more than we do. It's called pride. Simply put, we think of ourselves as better, wiser, and more capable than we actually are.
The humorist Franklin Jones is credited with saying, "You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance."
It shouldn't happen. But time and time again, tragedy is touching the lives of our children.
Have you ever been caught procrastinating by an authority figure and quickly pretended that you were working?
One of the worst feelings a person can have is that of being utterly and hopelessly trapped.
Most people in the world spend their lives trying to outrun poverty, but do you know even the rich can be poor in spirit?
We've all done it. When we realize we've messed up, we're quick to spit out an "I'm sorry."
It's easy to picture God as old and wise. But have you ever stopped to think that the vitality and joy of children also show us His nature?
Few things embrace the good and beautiful in life like gathering around a table and sharing a meal.
Knowing what to do with life's pain, disappointments, and unanswered prayers can be challenging. Where's God in it all?
We're often so used to a counterfeit, that it's profoundly moving when we encounter irresistible, genuine love.
Parking spots. Can you actually trouble God for the little things in life, like a parking spot in a crowded lot when you're running late?
If you've never been to the ocean or it's been a while, rest assured--its never-ending waves are still majestically crashing onto the beach.
How do we impress others? We humans spend a lot of time and money trying to figure this one out.
Have you ever felt afraid of God? Much of our fear comes from a lack of understanding of His love.
Bernadette Mukakabera's story is amazing. She forgave her husband's killer and today their children are married.
You may not think of Jesus as a radical, but He radically measured all people by the same inner standards, regardless of ethnicity or sex.
Festivals of light are celebrated all over the world--light plays a starring role in celebration and encouragement.
Blackout. In times of war, you don't want even a pinprick of light revealing where you are during a nighttime air raid.
Our world holds two strange realities which shape our lives. Every day there is birth and new life. And yet, we see daily decay and death at work.
Loving others is an admirable goal, but we've each experienced how hard it can be in practice.
Every human is born craving love. Babies cry to be held and children reach for their parents. We all yearn for connection and then begin to define love based on our experiences.
Have you ever been in court? If you have, I'm guessing it might not have been a very pleasant experience.
Are you waiting for something? Waiting to meet someone to marry, waiting for test results, or waiting for someone to come home?
To an outsider looking in, Aleena is trapped. In her culture, women don't go out of their homes without a male relative, so Aleena spends most of her time in her kitchen.
Only days after a devastating earthquake struck the countries of Turkey and Syria, the stories began to trickle out.
For years in a row, Finland has ranked No. 1 as the happiest country in the world, according to the World Happiness Report.[1]
[1] Martela, Frank. "I'm a Psychology Expert in Finland, the No. 1 Happiest Country in the World-Here Are 3 Things We Never Do." CNBC, CNBC, 5 Jan. 2023, https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/05/what-people-in-finland-happiest-country-in-world-never-do-according-to-psychologist.html.
Have you ever seen the power of kindness in action? There's nothing that works faster or better to bring hurt or angry people back into loving relationship.
"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting,"[1] John Ruskin is credited with saying.
[1] New York Teachers' Monographs. United States, New York Teachers' Monographs Company, 1904.
He's an old snake that people have been fighting with in the gardens of their lives for millennia.
Our world has never been busier, demanding constant multi-tasking as we manage sky-high expectations. It's hard to limit ourselves to doing just one thing.
You'll never find a confident, free-thinking person who agrees with you on absolutely everything! Thankfully, love, respect, and unity don't always depend on agreement.
A distraught woman went to her pastors for counseling because it was terrible at home. But they didn't believe her.
It is not easy being a young adult today. Living payday to payday, stressed out over the state of the world, and craving meaning in life, the future looks grim to them.
We are creatures of habit. Do something, or think something, over and over and you're soon stuck in a habit.
Craig Groeschel tells a story about the roads in Alaska where winter snow melts, creating seriously muddy ruts in summer. A road sign reads, "Choose your rut carefully. You'll be in it for the next 60 miles."
Imagine you're at a park observing a child repeatedly hitting his mother. Each time, his mother says, "I forgive you." Is that a show of self-control, kindness or grace?
When you hear the word "boundary," do you think of something that holds you back or something that creates safety?
We edit photos to remove our flaws and craft resumes that tell people everything we're best at. Our world exalts and promotes strength while hiding weakness.
In the YouTube video watched by 86,000 people, teens stepped up to the camera one by one, and all said the same thing: I want to be seen.
Marathon runners know it better than anyone: endurance is only developed by pushing our limits and going just a little farther than we went the day before.
For thousands of years, religious people have tried to attain perfection and goodness. Countless rules have been written, only to reveal our still imperfect hearts.
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus is credit with saying, "The only constant in life is change," and who would argue with that?
A popular business publication states that people feel helpless and out of control in this post-Covid world. It's true, but what can we do about it?
Ever feel like you've walked a long road and wished you had a friend who could understand everything you've ever been through?
The Bible spares few details in describing what people are really like. But the surprises lie in finding out what God is like when He comes face to face with our weakness and humanity.
You've been done wrong in this life and you've no doubt experienced, first-hand, how difficult the realities of forgiveness can be.
Regret can be a powerful influence in our lives. It's easy to hold onto regret over mistakes, missed opportunities, losses, and poor judgment.
Are you in a painful place right now? There are two things we don't know about suffering but one that we do.
Antonio had finally gotten the degree he'd worked (and borrowed for), passed his board exams and gotten a good job. Then, less than a year later he was laid off.
Hellhole Canyon. That was the name of the hike I'd started off on, a sunny winter's day in the desert.
To know me is to love me is an old cliché. But, closer to the truth for most of us might be "I can't ever let you know what's really inside me."
Jesus wasn't liked by the religious people of His day. Although they had physical sight, Jesus called them spiritually blind.
Darya sat in the dark, clutching her infant son and sobbed. Forty people, including children, were dead after an apartment building like hers was hit by missiles.
Scientists have yet to find a creature that doesn't sleep, but when it comes to humans, well, that's another story.
Sure, we know that robbing a bank, shoplifting from a store, or forging a signature on a check is wrong. But we steal from each other in many much more subtle ways, that we may not have stopped to think about.
To be honest, there are some things about Jesus and His Kingdom that just aren't easy to understand. Even His disciples had real questions.
Ever stopped to think about where your thoughts are taking you? If you're not controlling them, they're controlling you.
Pauline said she stopped calling herself a Christian in her 30s. Diana said she "lost her faith" as a process of gradual disengagement.
Did you ever play the schoolyard game of tag as a kid? There was always a homebase you could run to, where you'd be safe and no one could get you!
Who knows how long the people watched the sycamore tree. But when Albert Brandt stopped to camp under it in the 1940s, the day they longed for had come.
It's one thing to declare that your past doesn't define you. But it's another thing to live like you really believe it.
Megan sat in the circle of women with her head in her hands. "What I've done is so bad that I can't ever forgive myself," she cried. She was miserable and felt she deserved to live this way.
He was the logical choice to lead. Raised in the home of the ruler of the land, educated with the elites, powerful in both speech and action. But God said, "not so fast."
"You're very religious," my friend commented. "Would you call yourself a Christian?" "Well... yes," I answered. "But what do you think a Christian is," I asked in return.
It starts with disappointment. You prayed as a kid, for a sick pet to get well and...it didn't. When the circumstances God allows aren't what we've wanted, we hedge our bets the next time.
Are you ever fearful of not having enough money? The solution is counter-intuitive: give more away!
If we're being honest, our natural tendency when it comes to others is usually, After me, you first!"
Do you have a living room, or a sala, or a salon in your home? If so, you've got what it takes for community to happen.
Have you ever wavered back and forth between two options at some critical time in your life? Decision-making can be excruciating.
Most people today describe themselves as "spiritual." They want to believe that their lives have significance beyond their everyday existence.
Comfort and hustle--they're our two newest idols. They might sound opposite but they're both born out of the same descent into meaninglessness.
Jesus Christ died by being nailed to a cross. But did you realize that that not just one, but two, were put to death by that crucifixion?
In some cultures, it's called "losing face." No matter how you describe it, no one likes to be proven wrong and look foolish.
There's a mysterious longing that consciously or unconsciously, we all try to fill, sometimes at great cost.
There's something in all of us that wants to see justice done and the "Good Guy" win over the "Bad Guy."
I hate to tell you this, but there aren't going to be any awards on the other end of life for the person who got the most work done.
God uses ordinary people who get tired, scared, burned out and even those who quit. If you're in one of those categories today, there's encouraging news for you.
Standing on the runway of a brand-new year, there's a lot that we can't see—like what the year holds for us, or for our crazy world. When we can't see, it's time to go back to what we know.
Never enough. Do you live in fear that there won't be enough time, money or love, for you to be happy? You may be suffering from what's called a scarcity mentality.
Ever noticed how far the distance can be from your head to your heart? In our minds, we know that God is all-powerful and able to protect us yet calming down our nerves isn't always easy.
God tell us not to fear 365 times in the Bible. Have you ever wondered how He can ask that of us? After all, we're only human!
Snakes, flying, dinner parties with strangers, or maybe needles. What are you afraid of?
It's gift giving season. Does that give you anxiety just thinking about it? If so, you're not alone.
What do your kids, or your grandkids, need this Christmas? Toys? Books? Clothes? You can give them something much greater.
Christmas is happening! There’s an invitation waiting for you this season but it’s not to a party or a concert.
He was portrayed by the master sculptor, Michelangelo, as a powerful figure with a stern face and horns. Believe it or not, Moses set the stage for the Christmas story.
Would you say that you've heard the voice of God? He does speak to us but we don't always hear Him.
He'd come so far, but all she could see was how far he still had to go. Margo had forgotten the days when her young adult son couldn't even get out of bed in his depression.
It was a power struggle—the religious leaders vs. the ruler of the day. The tie breaker was an appeal to self-interest.
We live in an electrified world. But cycles of darkness and light ruled the ancient days in ways we may not understand. That is, until the lights go out.
It's the opening lyric of one of the world's most famous pieces of music: "'Comfort, comfort my people,' says your God."
The Bible says that "when the right time came," God sent His Son (Galatians 4:4). God has a just "right time" for everything.
You can't begin to follow Jesus without it, and you can't grow without continuing to do it—we're talking about repentance.
The handmade signs on the street corner read: Jesus is coming to judge the earth! Repent! But as people walked by the display, not many reached for the brochure offered to them.
There are times in life when there are no explanations. The worst has happened. It's hard to even breathe.
I see the faces of my friends when I'm thinking about heaven as I worship: Sara, Ansel, Tani, Rabia, Alex and Abdullah. One day we'll worship together for all eternity!
God makes big plans. I don't. So sometimes I need to be reminded of just how big His plans really are!
"I'm the king of the world!" filmmaker James Cameron proclaimed while accepting the Best Director prize for his blockbuster movie, Titanic. This was Cameron's moment of glory.
Life can be brutal, but there's one place we go to for comfort, belonging and welcome. We call that place home.
When a parent is teaching a teen to drive, one piece of advice they may give is: "Watch your blind spot!" As it turns out, that's great advice!
Detours. Name one person who actually likes them. With God, however, even our detours are by design.
Does the word "law," have an ominous ring to you? "Obey the law, or else," you may have learned as a new driver when a siren and flashing lights behind you, got your attention.
Once in a while, a mother sheep will reject one of her babies, kicking the tiny animal away and never taking it back. That little lamb is called a "bummer lamb."
In today's fast-paced world fixated on results, it's easy to forget to rest. When we define ourselves by our achievements and work, we may even feel guilty resting!
Their leader was in prison. The first Christian church in Europe could have easily closed. But then the letter arrived.
What can I do? This is often what we think when we hear of a terrible crisis that's just happened.
In times of global crisis, we may experience anxiety and fear, even if those affected are on the other side of the world.
What do you do when you just can't fix something--like a world where disasters feel like they're coming faster than ever?
Listen to just five minutes of the news and you'll hear about wars, earthquakes, famines, diseases, and persecution. It's easy to ask, "Where is God?"
Narrow, difficult, hard to find. If you came to a hiking trail labeled with those words, you'd probably think twice before heading up it, wouldn't you?
When you were growing up, did your parent stand you up against a wall with a pencil to mark where the top of your head reached? It's exciting to see growth!
"I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark."[1] These were the words of Stephen Hawking, one of the most brilliant physicists to ever live. Hawking was an atheist. Many of the world's most dazzling minds—Nobel Prize winners like Madame Marie Curie, Albert Camus and Milton Friedman, all refused to believe in God.
[1] Ducharme, Jamie. “Stephen Hawking Was an Atheist: His Words on Death and God.” Time, Time, 14 Mar. 2018, https://time.com/5199149/stephen-hawking-death-god-atheist/
They're called influencers—they're the people who have the power to motivate us to
act in one way or another.
The little reminders were here and there, left in places where Shawna would see them often. On each sticky note the letters "BTP" were scribbled. What were these mysterious messages all about?
Waiting, in any circumstance, is hard. Given the opportunity to get yourself out of a bad situation, why wouldn't you?
God has promised to meet all the needs of those who come to Him for help. Sometimes, that help takes longer to arrive than we'd like.
There are four questions you may worry about that God probably won't ask you. Erika Pizzo writes about mental and physical health in her blog, Your Temple Care. Pizzo says: "Our bodies are temples of the living God, so let's treat them that way."[1] Pizzo is referencing Scripture that says, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
[1] Pizzo, Erika [yourtemplecare]. "Four Things God Probably Won't Ask You When You Get to Heaven," Instagram, September 15, 2022, Instagram.com/yourtemplecare/.
When Stevie was 5, neighborhood bullies roughed him up. His older sister marched down the street to show them a thing or two--and came home with a black eye.
From business turnarounds to home makeovers, the idea of transformational change is hugely appealing.
It's called atychiphobia. Common symptoms include anxiety, avoidance, and indecisiveness. You and I know it as fear of failure.
A lifestyle of their choosing--it's what people increasingly say they want out of life.
Scientists have discovered that in our last moments, we may experience a kind of "life flashing before our eyes."[1]
[1] Honderich, H. (2022, February 23). Life may actually flash before your eyes on Death - New Study. BBC News. Retrieved October 4, 2022, from bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60495730
Scrolling through social media occasionally nets some nuggets like this statement: Your value does not decrease based on someone's inability to see your worth.
His career coach asked him to list all the things he was doing in his job. When his list topped 50 different things, Craig realized why he was exhausted.
The last time you had lunch with a friend, do you remember who finished their food first?
This phrase describes the urge we all feel when under pressure: Don't just stand there...do something!
The renowned landscape photographer, Galen Rowell, echoed the Creator of the universe when he said, "My first thought is always of light."
You may think that Bible stories are for kids, but there's always a story behind the story that gives us profound insight into what God is like.
If you give to God out of your surplus, is that really even giving? Does God value non-sacrificial giving?
When Sara first came to understand that Jesus is God, she thought that she was the only person in her entire country to follow Jesus. She even baptized herself with a cup of water.
Kings and queens, with their colorful pageantry and coronation regalia, are still fascinating to us in this post-modern age.
The refugees arrive exhausted and without any belongings. But Yuri and Nadia don't hesitate to offer help to the broken men and women arriving in their community.
Those who have suffered because of following Jesus, all seem to come to the same unwavering conclusion.
She was a maverick--a 28-year-old Cambridge-educated doctor who, in 1953, went to work in what was then called the Congo.
Incurvatos in se. It's the curious Latin term that the North African theologian, Augustine, used to describe one of the things that sin does to us.
Sex, heaven and hell are pretty weighty topics. But Jesus Christ spoke more about another topic than any of these.
Think about the great ruins of the world-- the Pyramids of Egypt or Stonehenge in England. Ruins make us stop and wonder, what happened here?
There's a reason that the Bible is the most translated book in the world. At 3,350 translations no other book comes anywhere close.[1]
[1] “Top 8 Most Translated Books in the World - Updated 2022.” TranslateDay, 1 Sept. 2022, translateday.com/most-translated-books-in-the-world/.
He said he wasn't appreciated for how hard he worked at his job. But he had bills to pay and so Michael did the only bare minimum required for his role. In today's work world language, Michael "quiet quit."
Before he knew about God's love, Maksi said he thought that violence was the only way to keep his family under control.
When he first encountered the gospel, Omar realized he didn't know his own Muslim faith. He immersed himself in becoming a "true Muslim," and then, something happened that he didn’t expect.
Human beings have lived with invasions, plagues, famines and fear since the beginning of history. If you're resigned to living with a sense of continual unrest, keep listening!
If you really want one, there's a business in New York City that will sell you a throne. You can choose a King David Throne or even a King Kong throne!
The poet Maya Angelou once wrote, "The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned."[1]
[1] Goodreads. (n.d.). Home Quotes. Goodreads. Retrieved August 23, 2022, from https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/home
Grace and Lucas didn't see God, face to face. But He was there…in the hospital with their little son.
You are not alone. You're not alone if you've felt overcome by inadequacy, exhaustion or fear.
Naomi was a teen when she learned a valuable lesson about God many of us may not have gotten yet.
Just before dawn three young men with machine guns burst into the hotel room of missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham.
I don't know if you liked school very much but God's classroom is different—He does all the hard work there.
People who have experienced staggering loss and yet continued to declare the goodness of God are fascinating and inspiring.
"People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime."[1]
[1] Chalker, Brian A. "Reason, Season, or Lifetime." Arlington Public Schools, VA, https://eap.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/sites/44/2020/05/Season-Reason-Lifetime-for-Friendships.pdf
Mark listened carefully to his pastor's words: "God is not interested in your happiness." "Wow, he thought," that makes sense because I am definitely not happy!"
For a while, it was popular to post the most impressive thing about yourself on social media with the hashtag: #blessed. But this braggy habit had little to nothing to do with being blessed by God.
Gleason Archer Jr. once told about a young woman who was new to following Jesus. She didn't realize yet that while Christians agreed that sins need to be confessed, it rarely ever happened outside of silent prayer.
Who doesn't love the mystery of buried treasure? Stories like "Buried Treasure That Hasn't Been Found Yet!" get even adults excited. But there's a story of buried treasure in the Bible that didn't end well.
It had been stashed away behind the refrigerator in the garage for 10 years. Daniel needed physical evidence of his father's cruelty. But now truly free, he got that horse whip out, and threw it away.
Laila was exhausted. She and her husband had prayed for a baby. They'd gone to the doctor. Month after month and then, year after year. But there was no baby and no understandable reason why. "I can't pray about this anymore," Laila told her father.
How quickly can you answer this question: What was the last answer to prayer in your life?
Search the internet for an answer to this question and you'll get over 51 million results: How does God answer prayer?
If you've prayed for something for years without any visible success, would you assume you should give up?
Remarking about the noise of modern life, an alternative pop rock band once sang: If we're adding to the noise, turn off this song!
Have you ever taken a personality test? Perhaps you learned that you were a solitude seeking introvert or a people pleasing extrovert! Ever feel like someone else's personality type is somehow better than yours?
For centuries of Christianity, hope meant just one thing: the expectation of a glorious eternity in Heaven.
Beth knows her Bible inside and out. Raised in Sunday school, church, Vacation Bible School and Wednesday night Bible study, Beth is very sure of right and wrong when it comes to life's choices.
Should a follower of Jesus react differently to life's irritations and the flawed people that rub us wrong day after day?
There are times when we think that ignoring pain or loss will make it disappear, even when we're simply suppressing it.
William Shakespeare is known for penning the line, "Neither a borrower nor a lender be," but the fact is that all of us have a loan that could be called in at any time.
All hope was gone. She was widowed and her only son had died, dooming her to a life of insecurity and social exclusion.
Anyone who decides to follow Jesus has a measure of faith. But there’s a gift of faith that enables those with the gift to trust God beyond the limits of what we think is humanly possible.
By high school she'd been through 12 different foster-care homes. Tori Hope Petersen's young heart had grown callous toward God and people.
Money, and lots of it. That's what Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bernaud Arnault, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet all have in common.
"Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt so that you may know how you ought to answer each person" (Colossians 4:6). That's a great Bible verse, but how do you really do that, in the heat of problems in relationship?
Have you found that you can't live a holy life? Good for you—you've discovered one of the most important principles in life!
Harvard Business Review defines it as, "Doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud." It's called Imposter Syndrome.
Have you heard it said, "People don't care about what you know, they want to know how much you care?
This stanza of a poem written in the 1700s is where we probably get the familiar phrase: God works in mysterious ways. After decades of watching God work, I'd say, if I can think of how God might do something, that's probably not the way He will work! And I'm thankful that God's methods aren't limited to my human-sized brain.
What gives a person significance? Is it his age, his worth, her image, or her accomplishments?
"The opposite of hope isn't despair, it's distraction," tweeted Bob Goff,[1] and he is so right.
[1] Goff, Bob [@bobgoff]. The opposite of hope isn't despair, it's distraction." Twitter, 5/21/22, https://twitter.com/bobgoff/status/1528094061726314496?cxt=HHwWgMClyf7c8LQqAAAA
We have become impatient people. We're so used to being able to satisfy our curiosity about any subject, compliments of our smart phones, that we don't like to wait to find out anything!
Been feeling helpless? All that's happening in the world might lead you to feel that way.
There are times in this life, agonizingly painful times, when it can seem that all hope is lost.
If you're finding it increasingly harder to concentrate, you're not alone. Our world today often leaves us taxed mentally, frazzled emotionally and impatient with others.
It's ok to pour out the concerns of your heart out to God. There's even an entire book of the Bible devoted to lament.
Prayer is an amazing thing. It's amazing that we can simply talk to God and He listens… and answers!
"Apart from me, you can do nothing." That's Jesus' answer to our best attempts at being "good people" (John 15:5).
Did you ever hear the old saying about fish and houseguests? Both should be thrown out after three days.
The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, but... he will pursue his foes into darkness. Nahum 1:7-8
When things go wrong, what's your first thought? God let you down? You're under attack?
Not a single one of our human parents were perfect. So we get into trouble when we think about God as some sort of cosmic parent.
When you were a kid, did your mother ever say to you, wait until your father gets home?!
Have you had a slice of humble pie lately? “Swallowing your own pride seldom leads to indigestion,” said an unknown pundit.
There is no dependence that can be sure but a dependence upon oneself," wrote English poet John Gay. Was he right?
When is the last time you felt pure joy? Aside from a birth or a graduation, have you experienced much joy in just…life?
Whether you realize it or not, you're living your life based on some pretty specific expectations. In fact, not realizing that can get you into trouble.
If there's one thing we all try to avoid if at all possible, it's this: Disappointment.
Hey, you're awesome! Who doesn't like getting a compliment? That's what Tom Greaves, the creator of the Compliment Machine demonstrated.
You know that argument you had with your spouse last night? Turns out, there’s some good that can come of it.
Sometimes, the simplest things are the most profound.
Shortly after my grandfather passed away, I found a small, leather-bound book among his things. Practicing the Presence of God was embossed on its cover. Written by a 17th century layman who served in a monastery as a cook and a sandal maker, these short writings give us some beautiful pictures of a personal and vibrant relationship with God. The author called himself "Brother Lawrence."
Could you come up with one-thousand things to be thankful for? Ann Voskamp suggests you try it!
Depending on the circumstances and your temperament, being alone can be a calm, peaceful state or a destitute, painful place.
My friend Millie is 95 years young. Born to missionary parents in China before the Communist Revolution, she’s known Jesus for a long time. Millie is vibrantly beautiful, but it’s one of her prayers, that I’ll always remember.
Anuja Lal is a vibrant woman with dark, soft hair, dressed in a bright yellow Nepalese pant suit. She's a woman with a message.
In world class running, they're called rabbits or pacers—they're runners who are tasked with keeping elite racers at just the right pace to set the next world record.
“You’re either growing or you’re dying.” Those words from a famous American football coach apply to trees, marriages, businesses, and human beings.
The longer I live the more painfully obvious it becomes: This world is broken, and I am broken.
When you were a teen, do you remember your parents saying something like, "Nothing good happens after midnight?
My friend Megan sat across the desk from a lawyer and signed the papers. Divorced—she was getting divorced.
Life is here today and gone tomorrow. That's what the wisest man who ever lived concluded.
How can you forgive someone who insulted you, lied to you and humiliated you for a long time? Now those are difficult questions.
Has God called you to do something for Him? If you're a parent, an employee or spouse, the answer is, yes.
Have you ever watched a glorious sunset and wished you could hold on to that beautiful moment forever?
How many times do you need to pray the same prayer asking God to do the same thing, before He hears you?
Sometimes when we pray, it seems like God is silent. Do you ever wonder if some of your prayers will ever be answered?
What does a pastor offer to his people when their land is under attack, bombs are falling and destruction threatens everything they hold dear?
A handsome movie star with a beautiful wife was caught having an affair with his kids' nanny. "I found I was a different person than I thought I was. I'm just so disappointed in myself," he admitted surprisingly.
Life is filled with mountaintops, plains and valleys. But when you're in a deep, dry valley, you can't remember much else.
Theologian Francis Schaeffer once posed the question, "What is the place of art in the Christian life?" How would you answer that question?
Here's a question for you: Should a life lived following Jesus be an inherently better life?
Writer Ann Voskamp says, "…there is not even one of us who hasn't lost something, who doesn't fear something, who doesn't ache with some unspoken pain."[1]
[1] Ann Voskamp, The Broken Way (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), 19.
There sometimes comes a time when a person is just done.
Kay Bruner was done. The 30-something missionary stood in the middle of a gravel road, in the highlands of Papua New Guinea and said, "I can't do this anymore." So, they gave her a little blue pill and put her to bed. When she woke up, she wanted to die.
Bullies are nothing new. Would you believe there are bullies in the Bible?
If you've experienced being bullied, you're in good company. Two stories in the Bible show us that God sees, hears and cares about those who have been bullied.
Don't make me tell you again, is a phrase that often comes out of the mouths of frustrated parents. But you won't hear that from God, your spiritual Father.
Do you ever have a hard time reconciling the reality of God on His throne, with the reality of life on the streets?
When God wanted to reveal Himself to humans, he didn't start a YouTube channel, he wrote a book. God used words. Words matter to God.
Borders between countries can be unnerving places. Each time I cross one, I'm secretly holding my breath that all my documents will be in order and that nothing in my bags will be a problem.
Home improvement is a popular hobby, with entire streaming networks based on shows like Fixer Upper or Dream Home Makeover.
Jesus said, "You will always have the poor among you" (Mark 14:7), but the fact that poverty is impossible to stamp out doesn't mean that we're exempt from doing something about it.
Every time I pick up my phone, they're there. Image after image, story after story, about war, immense suffering, injustice, and overwhelming need.
What do you do when crisis hits? When the unthinkable happens in life? My friend, Nadia, stands in the kitchen; strain visibly etched on her face. For weeks, her country has been under relentless attack by an enemy. Nadia cries out to God for strength and rescue. And then she makes soup. She makes a huge pot of soup for those who help pack and deliver food, between air raid sirens.
What would you say it takes to be a great leader? Charisma, brains, a take-charge attitude?
Have you ever wondered what it really means to "give your life to God?" Maybe it looks something like the lives of Mother Teresa or Billy Graham?
A man decided to donate a relatively small piece of land to his church. It was swampy and not suitable for development. Soon after, the church had the land appraised and coal was discovered. A geologist was called in and an exploratory well brought up oil! In the course of oil production at the site, uranium was discovered near the vein of coal.
In 1865, William Booth, founded what would be a huge mission called the Salvation Army. He was once asked. What's your secret?" The story goes that Booth thought about it for a moment and said, "God has had all there was of me!"
Being in the middle of something can be disheartening. Remember when you were a kid, sitting in the back seat of the car in the middle of a long road trip and you kept asking your parents, "Are we there yet?!" So frustrating! But when you're in the middle of treatment for cancer, or you're in the middle of years of prayer for someone you love who's walked away from Jesus, in "the middle" can be an excruciatingly painful place to be.
Followers of Jesus have a unique hope. We've got wealth that is stored for us where there's no rust or threat of a break-in. Scripture refers to this storage place as heaven (Matthew 6:20), which Jews historically interpreted simply as, "in God's realm." "But honestly," you might ask, "why bother with treasure you can't access?"
Hannah Whitall Smith is known for writing a little book called, The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life. Since 1875, millions of people have been helped by it. But if you thought that Smith was qualified to write this devotional because her life was perfect, think again.
Jesus spoke about money to his disciples saying, "So don't be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it (Luke 12:32-33).
When my dad would teach on relationships, he told a joke that was funny, sad and probably true in a lot of relationships. A woman who was asked, "When did your husband last tell you, 'I love you'?" The wife answered with "years ago!" Then they brought in her husband, and he gave exactly the same answer: "I told her that I loved her when I married her," he said, "and I also told her that if I ever changed my mind, I'd tell her that too!"
Lisa's circumstances made home-schooling the best option for her children. But her home was small, her husband worked long hours from home and "school" had to be done at the kitchen table. It was super messy, and it was stressful to keep her two healthy boys quiet enough for her husband to make business calls.
Mothers used to tell their daughters, "Beauty is, as beauty does," to emphasize that real beauty is an action, rather than a look, or outfit of the day. The Bible teaches, "Don't be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God" (1 Peter 3:3-4). Those verses were always a bit discouraging to me, for that gentle and quiet spirit can be a hard thing to produce.
It's late at night on the other side of the world when I finally get a text message on my phone. It's Anya, my friend for whom God answered many prayers, when Anya and her husband welcomed a baby girl into their arms two months ago.
When we look around in this world and want to know just exactly what God intended when he created people, we're not going to find an answer. What we were, at creation, ended through disobedience, through our desire to be equal to God. The Bible says that "When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned" (Romans 5:12).
I've developed a habit that helps me keep my friendships alive. At the conclusion of having coffee with a friend, I make sure we put another date on the calendar to be together--even if it's months and months away! Because we need to be together to have relationship.
There are crossroads in life where the subject of vocation looms large. Maybe you've just finished a degree or finished raising children. "What are you going to do now?" people ask. And you're probably wondering the same thing.
After 70 years of studying, preaching, and teaching the Word of God, my grandfather Duffield was in the hospital, nearing death. When He asked me to read from his Bible at his side, I thought, "Grandpa, you could recite that passage word for word!" He wanted to hear the Word He had loved and mastered. Now, his peaceful, sweet spirit showed that God's Word had mastered him.
The news is bad. Your bar exam results came back… and you failed again. Your biopsy was positive, or your pregnancy test was negative. No one escapes the bad news of life, but the Bible gives us a beautiful example of how to handle the very worst of news.
Bible teacher, Jill Briscoe, gave a talk titled, "Prayer that Works."[1] Sometimes we think of prayer as either "working," or "not-working," depending on whether we received our desired outcome. "We know that He hears when we make our requests," the Bible assures us (1John 5:15). He always hears, He always answers, and sometimes the answer is no.
[1] Briscoe, J. (2019, July 10). Prayer That Works. Speech, Irvine, CA; Harvest Christian Fellowship.
I was looking forward to a weekend of rest after a hectic week. Saturday morning dawned with sunshine and birds outside my window, but I felt strangely anxious. I made a quick list of the things I thought I would do in the next two days as I "rested." I realized I had a problem when I counted 21 things on my "restful weekend" list!
Jesus said it three times (John 13:34-5). You'll find it a dozen times in the New Testament of the Bible. It's a little phrase that describes something people have a hard time doing, but followers of Jesus are supposed to be known for it.
She was crowned Miss USA while getting her law degree and an MBA. The former Division I college athlete then left law to become an Emmy Award nominated television correspondent—and she'd just turned 30. But when she couldn't answer what she called, "the world's most important question," Cheslie Kryst jumped to her death from a New York high-rise.
I can't, but You can. That's my prayer each morning, as I think about my responsibilities in the day ahead, hoping that I can remember to think before speaking and fight the urge to put myself before others. Sometimes, it's enough to make me want to stay in bed.
This world is passing away. And it's ok.
We need to remember this when we hear about terror attacks, child pornography, human trafficking, racial injustice, and the list goes on. "The world around us is under the control of the evil one," the Bible book of 1 John explained long ago (1 John 5:19). "My Kingdom," Jesus said while here on earth, "is not an earthly kingdom" (John 18:36). Satan is a supernatural enemy of all humans, an angel who rejected God's authority. He continues to fight against God and those who follow after God, inspiring most of what ends up as the news, streaming 24/7.
There's a lot of handwringing going on today. Have you heard people saying things like: "What kinds of world will my children face as adults?" or "I sure wouldn't want to be raising kids today! But you won't hear comments like these from Alex Cravens. He's a youth pastor and father of two young sons.
Jesus got into a boat with His disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee, a journey of about six miles. Tired, Jesus went right to sleep. The Bible says, "A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, 'Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?' He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, 'Quiet! Be still!' Then the wind died down and it was completely calm" (Mark 4:37-39).
When Charles Colson wanted to start a prison ministry, he went to the Chief of the Bureau of U.S. Prisons, requesting permission to go into the jails and do Bible studies with the men. The prison head didn't agree but said he'd take it under consideration.
Jason's best friend, Matt, moved to Japan to be a missionary. When Matt met his future wife there, they planned a wedding near Christmastime. Jason bought a plane ticket to attend the wedding months in advance for nearly $1000. But as the wedding neared, Jason realized he'd mistakenly bought his ticket for November and his flight had left without him a month ago. Jason was devastated because he couldn't afford to replace the ticket.
I don't know who said it, but I like this saying: "We are all crooked sticks through whom God strikes a straight blow." Perhaps it's a version of what Martin Luther may have said: "God can draw a straight line with a crooked stick."
Soul weary. It's the condition expressed well by Bilbo Baggins in Tolkien's, The Fellowship of the Rings. "I am old…I don't look it, but I am beginning to feel it in my heart of hearts…Why, I feel all thin, sort of stretched, if you know what I mean: like butter that has been scraped over too much bread. That can't be right. I need a change, or something."[1]
[1] Tolkien, J.R.R. The Tolkien quote database - lotrproject. The Lord of the Rings Family Tree Project. Retrieved January 30, 2022, from http://lotrproject.com/quotes/book/thefellowshipofthering//2
An insurance company ran commercials in what they called their "Get You Back Where You Belong" campaign. One began with a red convertible car rising up out of the ocean and flying up onto a cliff, where the car had been parked. A smiling man had been leaning against the car, posing for a photo, when the car had begun to roll and propelled off the cliff. The idea was that this brand of insurance was so good that it would put your life back together, as if the disaster had never happened.
Jesus was God. He was also man. Yet, perhaps like me, you find it hard to imagine Him experiencing human emotions just like we do. The Bible tells us that He cried (John 11:33), He was angry (Matthew 23:33) and He felt compassion (Matthew 9:20-22). But are you familiar with the time that Jesus was amazed?
The law of sowing and reaping is written on the human psyche. When trouble strikes, we immediately begin to wonder what we've done to end up in the mess we're in. Why did this happen to me?
Success is never final, and failure is never fatal. Need an example of that today? Meet John Mark, a man who lived in Jerusalem in the first century, mostly known as just Mark. We're introduced to him at a prayer meeting was held in his mother's home in Jerusalem. It was at that small group he met a man who was to leave a deep impression on his life named Peter. You can read about all of this in the New Testament book of Acts, chapter 12.
God. What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear that word? Judge? Spiritual force? Whatever your response, you may be surprised at the way that God described Himself in the Bible. God appeared to a man named Moses and represented Himself with a description that may not match the one in your head.
The Bible is God's divine revelation to man, but one of the things that I love most about it, is its depiction of men and women of faith as definitely less than divine. Real people, with struggles just like you and I face, are God's people.
The Greek storyteller, Aesop, told of a father who took his son and set off to market. The son rode a donkey, and the father led the animal. When they passed through the first town, people commented, "What a lazy boy. Imagine, riding while his father walks." The father heard the criticism and changed places. At the next town, people called out, "Old man, how dare you ride and let your son walk!" The father again responded to the criticism by getting off the donkey, and then both walked. Coming to a third town, the father heard people whisper, "How crazy can you get? Two people walking and letting the donkey carry nothing!"
Abraham was God's man. The Bible shows Abraham as obedient to God and yet, still human. God told Abraham, "Leave your native country, your relatives and your father's family, and go to the land that I will show you" (Genesis 12:1). But, then we read that he departed, as God instructed, "and Lot went with him."
No matter where you live in this world, you're probably interested in a better life--being a better version of yourself. That's why the global personal development market is valued at over $13 billion a year! God weighed in on the subject thousands of years ago in the Bible, inspiring a man named Paul to encapsulate the formula. He wrote: "One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14). In three words, here's his secret: Concentration, forgetfulness, and anticipation.
We know when we've done wrong. Even your dog tucks his tail between his legs after he's helped himself to your sandwich sitting on your coffee table when you stepped away. The world's three largest religions: Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism, all recognize a concept of sin. Christianity is unique, in that its entire message is based on man's redemption from sin through the person of Jesus Christ.
If you're married, are you getting what you want and need from your relationship? Single and want to be married? People couple-up for many reasons, including companionship, someone to share long nights and difficult seasons with. But there's one thing that marriage or a love-relationship won't ever do for you and that's complete or fulfill you.
Joseph, the husband of Mary, mother of Jesus, was a man who was asked by God to take on a huge responsibility. God picked him out to marry the pregnant Mary and be the early father Jesus grew up with. God's very specific instructions to Joseph came via dreams.
If you have kids or grandkids, you know that they can be frustratingly oblivious to the messes they create. My friend Ming shared that one of her biggest pet peeves is having to constantly remind her kids to lean over their bowls when they eat. Ming wants to train them not to waste food or create more work for others through carelessness. She confessed that she tells them this so often, it comes out harshly.
The Bible is full of people whose crimes made them guilty under God's laws and most human laws, too. Moses murdered a man, King David sexually exploited a woman, and the Apostle Paul oversaw the persecution of minorities. Yet they sought and received forgiveness. God's forgiveness toward each of these men didn't undo their guilt. Instead, Jesus transferred the ultimate consequences of their guilt onto Himself so that they could be released from shame.
When the apostle Paul was counseling the Romans on how to determine what thoughts and actions were in keeping with Jesus' teachings, he wrote, "stop being conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds" (Romans 12:2). The fact is that we are constantly being transformed by something. Renewal is what ensures that the life of follower of Jesus, practically demonstrates a focus on Jesus, not other people, or "the world." Paul's instruction to stop conforming to the world is often interpreted as "don't be like other people." But the real goal is aiming at being more and more like Jesus. The more you study the ways of Jesus, the more profound this instruction is.
Most, if not all of us, are not going to get out of this life without at least one broken heart. Without unrequited or lost love, artists, writers and musicians would have to scramble for material.
"I'll give some money and volunteer." Most people think that's what God wants out of us. If we can do that without pain, fine. But Jesus said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang onto your life, you will lose it" (Matthew 16:24-25).
It was still dark when the sounds of the Muslim call to prayer woke me up. My father said, "Get dressed! Let's go explore!" I was probably 11, but not too old to clasp my dad's hand tightly as we left our hotel. I'll never forget wandering the awakening streets and markets of Ammon, Jordon. I was entranced…and terrified. But with dad by my side, I knew I was safe.
Do you consistently feel like there aren't enough hours in the day? Michael felt like that. He worked a fast-paced job, volunteered on weekends, and was raising two kids at the same time. He felt constantly anxious; his health and relationships suffered. He needed a change, but it took several years of careful habit-breaking to truly slow down.
A work deadline was approaching, and I got my laptop mixed up with that of my colleague as I rushed to an appointment. Later, I panicked when I couldn't log on to the computer, jumped to conclusions based on some strange circumstances, and notified the police of a suspected data attack. No such thing had happened. Next, I knocked over a full cup of coffee. Finally, I calendared an appointment for the wrong day and then stood a friend up.
Courage. Maybe you think of it as the stuff of heroes who live extraordinary lives. But living in this world of uncertainty and living life as a follower of Jesus, takes courage!
Rita El-Mounayer is a small but powerful woman. She heads SAT-7, the satellite TV network that blankets the Middle East and North Africa with hope in Christ. Viewers interact with the network and the programming serves as a huge source of encouragement for believers living under persecution. One woman wrote the network saying, "You are our only source of fellowship—just watching the screen. When I see you SAT-7 people, I will bow down and wash your feet for all that you are doing for the church here."
In his book, The Jesus I Never Knew, Philip Yancey tells of a man who was working in an inner city who encountered a woman who had been a prostitute. She was in poor physical shape, homeless and unable to buy food for her two-year-old daughter. The Christian worker asked her if she had thought about reaching out to the church to help. "Church!" she said, "Why would I ever go there? They'd just make me feel even worse than I already do!"
Have you noticed that in relationships like marriage, true partnership is usually more desirable than fancy gifts or good looks? Relationship experts point out that one of the most meaningful ways you can express love, is to notice! There's a lot of uninteresting work to the business of living and letting the one you love know that you see their actions fills a relationship tank up.
Have you noticed that in relationships like marriage, true partnership is usually more desirable than fancy gifts or good looks? Relationship experts point out that one of the most meaningful ways you can express love, is to notice! There's a lot of uninteresting work to the business of living and letting the one you love know that you see their actions fills a relationship tank up.
Many of us picture church as a building - a place where people meet to sing, worship, listen to teaching, and hopefully, eat. But church isn't defined by a place, it's a community. The church is a global network of all people who put their faith in Jesus, even though a member in Somalia may never meet or know a member in Mongolia.
There's a fascinating story in the New Testament book of John about a man named Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a leader of the elite religious ruling council, and a curious man. He'd seen the miracles that Jesus had been doing and he came to talk with Jesus under cover of night. Nicodemus was a seeker.
Each year we yearn to start life afresh. And yet, if we've lived a while, we know that the reality of life is that our futures will be a mixture of both good and bad.
My grandma Sala had some great little sayings that often come to my mind. One was "Don't borrow trouble." Much like the phrase, one day at a time, Grandma would remind herself (and me) that nothing is accomplished by careening into tomorrow and beyond, in my head. Grandma believed Jesus when He said, "Don't worry about tomorrow…for each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34).
"In our world, the idea of ultimate truth — something that is true at all times in all places and has relevance for our lives — is about as extinct as the dinosaur,"[1] points out Lindy Keffer. But Jesus Christ talked about truth and claimed that He was "the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6). What's more, He said, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free!" (John 8:32). But what is this truth and how can we come to know it, as Jesus said was possible? Jesus' own words and Scripture say this: ultimate truth exists, and God's spirit leads seekers into the Truth.
[1] Keffer, L. (2021, September 3). Absolute Truth in a Relativistic World. Focus on the Family. Retrieved December 20, 2021, from https://www.focusonthefamily.com/church/absolute-truth/
When he was a toddler, my son did not do well with goodbyes. He loved nothing more than to be surrounded by a crush of family and he'd cry mournfully when grandma and grandpa, or the cousins drove away, after a visit.
When Paul wrote to the Romans he said that those who embrace Jesus in their lives become transformed. Have you noticed how very few transformations in nature are instantaneous? The growth of a flower bud into fruit is a process that takes time. Even a caterpillar inside its cocoon turns to goop before it's transformed.
It's easy to see the problems in another person, but we don't always recognize our own shortcomings. When someone criticizes you, do you usually write it off as jealousy? Or maybe you're prone to strike back with sharp words. It's always better to first consider some ways in which you may be able to benefit from critique.
I recently enjoyed watching an online show about a fictitious Orthodox Jewish family living in Jerusalem. It was interesting to hear young, engaged couples expressing their desire to establish they what they called a righteous Jewish home. You don't hear that word righteous much these days.
You won't go far in this life without coming up against hatred. But, if you know that you're loved, you will be less likely to be derailed by it. The apostle Paul achieved that sense of confidence in the face of hostility because he was secure in his relationship with God.
Charles Spurgeon was a famous preacher and Bible teacher of the 1800s. But his wife, Mrs. C.H. Spurgeon, or Susie, had a powerful ministry of encouragement long after her husband's death. Susie's life was one of great physical suffering, but she encouraged others in their discouragement from her vibrant relationship with Jesus.
The first time it happened was awful. It was New Year's Eve and Beth's college-aged son had been driving drunk. When he hit the car of a husband and wife returning home from festivities, the woman was expecting a baby and had to be hospitalized. Beth's heart was broken again sometime later, on the day her son stood in court …for a second DUI or driving under the influence charge. Beth had been praying that her son would surrender his life and his drinking, to God. It seemed her prayer wasn't being answered.
Can you remember naptime in kindergarten? After lunch, each child in the class had a blanket from home that they dutifully unrolled on the floor; we were then expected to sleep for a half hour. But I had no intention of sleeping. I hated naps! There were too many things to discover and too much fun to be had, to sleep.
One of my friends shared with me what she had imagined her adult life would be when she was a child. She'd had grand plans—an illustrious career that enabled her to be a gift to society, so everyone would praise her. She'd have a family of perfect individuals or be contentedly independent. She'd be surrounded by beautiful possessions but would have such a peaceful and humble spirit that she barely noticed them.
Of all the women and men of the Bible, Jacob can seem like a strange person for God to associate Himself with. "The God of Jacob" is a frequent title used for the God of the Bible, and Jacob is referenced 22 times in scripture.
In the Bible book of Luke 10, Jesus explained that the way to live is to love God with all the parts of who we are—with our hearts, souls, our minds, and our strength. These parts of us are distinct but intertwined. We might think of these aspects of ourselves as our emotions, our eternal essence, our reasoning, and our dedication. We engage with God through all of these. Understanding how to live fully in alignment with God, in every aspect of our personhood, is the key to a life of fulfilment.
Most of us would own up to having parts of ourselves that are messy. The most honest among us would admit to being wrecks, apart from the grace of God. Our inclination is to hide our flaws and failures, just like Adam and Eve did back in the Garden of Eden. Scripture says that God sees the conduct of all people (Jeremiah 32:19) and because of His love (that makes no human sense), He has compassion on us (Psalm 103:8). The God of the Bible, rather than demanding that we reach up to Him, reached down to us in love, through the gift of Jesus. Moreover, He continues to reach down, to refine us and heal us.
My friend Kim had had a bad night. Expecting her first baby, she and her husband had recently discovered that the family dog had a stomach condition that made him ill in the night quite often. After a night of little sleep, she wondered how she was going to be able to cope with being up with a baby and a dog in the future!
Imagine filling a pot with water. Then you put the pot over a fire, put on the lid, and wait for it to boil. Now, only a fool or a character in a fairytale would expect to take the lid off and find that the water had turned itself into a hearty soup!
How important is Scripture? Pastor Rich Villodas points out that, "When Jesus was tempted, scripture flowed from his lips. When Jesus was challenged, scripture flowed from his lips. When Jesus was crucified, scripture flowed from his lips. One of the ways to live like Jesus," he concludes, "is to internalize scripture, so that when we are cut, it spills out."[1]
[1] Villodas, Rich [richvillodas]. Instagram, December 3, 2021, https://www.instagram.com/p/CXBetZZAlaz/?utm_medium=copy_link.
When one year turns over into another, we tend to reflect. Most of us sense or are even embroiled in global unrest, fear, and uncertainty. Many of the goals we'd hoped to reach remain unmet. We're not the first people to feel this way! The Apostle Paul lived in the thick of trials and tribulations of his own era. His practice was to always train his focus on following and being together with Jesus. He wrote, "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me…." (Philippians 3:13-14).
Christmas time can make you feel like one big failure. It used to be popular to send a "creatively written" Christmas letter that bragged about everything your family had done that year. We knew what had really happened in our lives—failed marriages, kids that got into trouble and jobs that were lost. But we didn't include that in those Christmas letters.
There's more than one disease plaguing humankind this Christmas--loneliness is a global epidemic. Locked down and socially isolated by the pandemic, people of all ages have felt the pangs of loneliness. Many are still working from home and large numbers of former churchgoers have simply given up gathering together in person. Now, we greet Christmas in our loneliness.
Christmas, no, make that all of life, comes with a great big platter of expectations. We expect that Christmas will mean gifts, cheer and goodwill. In life, we expect that parents will love and protect children, marriage covenants will be kept and that doing the right thing will bring the right results. But this is not always reality. Sadly, Christmas can make the brokenness in our lives searingly more painful; like the young mother in the troubled marriage who realized one Christmas morning, after all the gifts under the tree had been opened, that there were no gifts for her. Our hurts, our brokenness, feel like an extra heavy load to carry at this time.
There's no way to pretend otherwise: Christmastime makes the losses we've suffered feel more acute and more agonizing. As the world seems to swirl more garishly and noisily, Jesus of the Manger, waits for those of us grieving loss, with powerful comfort.
It's nearly Christmas. Come to the Manger of the Nativity now, with all that you're carrying, and gaze upon Him, the Savior that is not just for all people, but for you.
The follower of Jesus is going to run into opposition--ever increasing opposition when we speak His name. Here are two reasons why.
Jesus was clear as to His mission on earth, reaching back to a 400-year-old prophecy saying: "…the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners" (Isaiah 61:1).
Try dropping the Name of Jesus at your next work social event. And I don't mean as a cuss word. Because you can talk about "God," or say that you're a "person of faith" or that you're "spiritual," without offending many people. But please, keep Jesus to yourself.
I will never forget the day I was sitting in the bleachers at my son's lacrosse game, chatting with several of the parents. I'd become friends with one of the moms, who was Jewish. Somehow the conversation turned to church and faith. My friend knew that I was a Christian, and she asked me, rather loudly: "But what about Jesus?" Would you tell me that if I don't believe in Jesus, I'm going to hell?"
Meg wanted to go to hear the popular surfer turned evangelist who was speaking at a summer crusade. She listened intently and made the decision to repent and begin a relationship with Jesus. Her friend, Amy, was excited! A follower of Jesus, Amy encouraged Meg to find a community to worship with and offered to do Bible study with her. After a few weeks had passed, however, Amy got a message from Meg: "This is too involved a commitment for me. I don't want to talk about this anymore."
Can we ever talk too much about forgiveness?
The Bible uses four different words to describe forgiveness. Three words are Hebrew and one is Greek. The first is translated as, "to cover," as in throwing a blanket over a pile of laundry. The second word means "to lift and take away," as if removing a stain from your best shirt. Third, "to pardon" or "to wipe clean" is a weightier term, reminiscent of criminal records. The final word means "to let go," as if what is pardoned on paper becomes physically embodied.
Right before her wedding day, Laura was struggling with doubt – she dearly loved her fiancée, but forever is one long commitment! How could she be certain of the future? A friend gently reminded her that we actually can't be certain of what hasn't happened yet. Some doubt is healthy because it's a sign of honesty.
When ancient Greeks formalized the adoption of a child in court, an adopted child received a new name. If the young person had committed any crimes against the state, their record was expunged at the time of adoption into their new family.
Have you ever seen an incredibly beautiful person pass by, or artwork that stopped you in your tracks, or heard someone speak with such clarity that your mouth dropped open? You think to yourself, I want to be like THAT! When Jesus' followers heard Him pray, they thought, "we want to learn to pray like THAT!" So they asked Jesus to teach them.
Many of us discover early on in life that it's easy to deceive people we perceive as naïve or generous. Watch your kids at play: one child will deliberately praise the beauty of a doll she's uninterested in so that her sister will want it and exchange dolls with her, getting her the toy she secretly wanted. Or here's a more serious one: A man named Laban in the Bible actually switched up the daughter he was giving in marriage, under the cover of night. Talk about an early morning surprise for Jacob, the groom (Genesis 29).
I had to rise very early one morning to catch a flight. There were a lot of important things happening at home and I'd be gone for a whole week. I felt anxious! My old pattern of coping has been to try to control everything and everyone. But I didn't want to go back to that; I'd worked hard to move away from this unhealthy way of handling life without Jesus.
In the Bible book of Acts 5, there's a story about a couple named Ananias and Sapphira. They sold a piece of their land so that they could give the funds to the church. But they decided to keep some of the money for themselves and lied to the church about it. Almost as soon as the lies left their mouths, they fell down, dead!
It's devastating to stumble just before you reach the finish line of a race. Others rush past you as you sit in the dirt and the prize slips away. Yet what we experience as defeat can still serve God's purpose.
I was preparing to go a mission trip in a developing country. The trip was going to involve a lot of outdoor work, so I was careful to select clothing that wasn't the "best" of my wardrobe. In fact, let me be honest: I packed my old clothes. As the trip concluded, I washed the clothes as best I could and left them in my hotel room for the woman who would clean after I checked out. I felt self-righteously generous as I toted my nearly empty suitcase home.
There once was a farmer who told his son to be home at a certain hour but one Saturday night the son failed to come home. At midnight the father got out of bed and turned the lock on the front door. He was still awake when he heard his son come home and try the door, without success.
If you read Bible stories as a kid, it's interesting to revisit them as an adult. The story of the children of Israel escaping Egypt, Red Sea parting and all, was always a favorite of mine. What strikes me now is the evidence God gave His people that He was with them.
Have you heard of Marie Kondo? Kondo is a popular guru known for helping people simplify and tidy up their lives. She asks people to really think about why they own the things that they do. Many around the world have been inspired to take critical stock of what has use or importance in their homes.
Mae's husband was mad again. She crouched in the bathroom, his breath hot on her neck as he yelled, "Stop crying like a baby! You're crazy! No one else would put up with you!" The fact of the matter was, that no one but Mae would put up with her angry, abusive husband. Beaten down for many years, Mae continued to pray that God would change her husband. Unfortunately, Mae's church gave her bad counsel, sending her back to the anger, again and again. Woman and men, like Mae, need our compassion and help.
Have the words, "You make me so mad!" ever come out of your mouth? If so, you're not alone. It's easy to think that someone else's wrong or thoughtless behavior is causing you to be out of control and angry! If that were true--and many people live their lives as if it is, we would constantly be angry and bitter! We're surrounded by a world of imperfect people who will always irritate, wrong and disappoint us.
I met a friend in person for the first time; she's a vibrant woman who exudes Jesus' love. Patricia has been a nurse and educator for over 50 years in New York City. As she shared her story with me, I was struck by the way racism had affected her life as a black woman—like the time a patient kicked her, screaming "Get away from me!" when she tried to care for the woman. I would have never seen that wound in my friend. How many times, I wondered, have I been blind to much in the lives of those around me?
What is heaven like? Heaven already exists, but it's not in its final form, according to scripture. The Bible refers to a place where God is and where Jesus returned to when He ascended from earth. This place is a realm where followers of Jesus are fully alive in completely perfect bodies, having shed the broken-down versions we lived in on earth. The Apostle Paul wrote, "we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself" (2 Corinthians 4:14).
Let's play a word association game: what comes to mind when you hear the word, "obedience?" My friend, Luisa, comes back with "blessing." I, on the other hand, think, "coercion, followed by…spanking." I recall a Christian parenting program that instructed parents to insist on first-time obedience from their children, or else!
Jesus is one person, but in Scripture and in our relationships with Him, we see so much of our own humanity. First, each of us sees Jesus as He relates to us, and us to Him. Because Jesus was fully God and fully man, we all can each see ways that "Jesus was just like me."
It used to be popular to put adhesive stickers on the bumper of your car, endorsing a politician or bragging that your kid was an honor student at the local elementary school. One especially irritating bumper sticker read, "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven." It was infuriating when the driver of a car with this sticker on it cut you off in traffic. Jesus, himself, showed open anger for religious people who honored Him with their lips when their hearts were far from Him. (Mark 7:7)
My son once took part in a discipleship program that involved mountaineering activities. One night was spent deep down in a cave, with this restriction: no light of any kind was allowed. Some found it difficult to sleep, panicking, unable to discern up, down or even the passing of time.
Old Testament law of the Bible dictated that farmers should cut grain in a circular pattern. This left the corners of a field untouched, so that poor people and immigrants could harvest there for free. Few of us own fields today, so how can we interpret this? Yes, you can give money to people who help the poor, but you're passing helping to the hands of others. There's something exciting about giving directly to another person who has a need; that's why God put hundreds of reminders to care for the poor in the Bible.
When I was a kid, I lost my backpack on a bus. It held some clothing and all my money, about $10. When I discovered it was gone, I was distraught. I cried as we searched all around us. My dad said he would replace the money, which only pained me more because I knew he didn't have much either. Imagine my relief when a passenger discovered that my backpack had slid under the seats up to the front of the bus!
When Candice first noticed Leon's cough, she never dreamed that Leon would spend six months in the hospital, too weak to talk on the phone, with Candice unable to visit him. When Leon finally returned home, much suffering was behind him but there was still a long journey of recovery ahead of him.
Children love the story in the Bible of the boy David defeating the giant Goliath with a slingshot. It illustrates something that we believe is impossible by the time we reach adulthood – conquering a problem that is much bigger than us with just a flick of the wrist. It wasn't David's good aim that defeated an outsized enemy, but the power of God. Even so, sometimes we need help finding the right tools.
Are you a rule breaker? Rule-breakers are often glamorized-- the bad boy, the rebel in real life, the guy who says, "I'll do it, my way." Religious people, of course, also do things, "their way," proudly keeping the rules and feeling pretty good about it. Both rule breaking and rule keeping are both just symptoms of sin. The rule breaker says, "I don't need God," and the rule keeper says, "Aren't you impressed, God? Look at my checked list of dos and don'ts! I'm doing everything right!"
One of the things I love about the Bible is that it tells us about real people with real flaws and shows us how God interacts with them.
Feeling distracted lately? In this hyper-connected world, distraction is our constant companion and temptation. We take in so much information, so many images and so much stimulation, that before you know it, time is gone. Not only that, but mindless scrolling focuses my mind on what the Bible calls "the world." This includes things like "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life." (2 John 2:16)
If you're a movie fan, you might argue that the most famous spy in the world is…Bond… James Bond, the British agent who's been played by a dozen actors in at least 25 films. But the Bible also has a spy of great reputation, and his name was Caleb.
When Jo Shetler moved to a rural area of the Philippines, she discovered that her new neighbors had a beautiful technique for resolving conflicts. Jo was a teacher and she was distressed when someone else came to town trying to teach a conflicting curriculum. She wanted to address the other teacher, but one of her Filipino friends told her frankly, "Jo, you don't know how to discuss things with others." So Jo asked her friend to teach her the way.
Giving God praise may be one of the least understood spiritual disciplines of our day. It's incredibly valuable because it puts us in the right position relative to God. When we give God praise, wrote Ruth and Warren Myers, "We consent to His gracious, transforming work in our lives; we agree that He can work in us, so that we'll be willing and able to do His will. In other words, we choose to let Him be God in our lives. This is our greatest privilege, the highest thing we can do."[1]
[1] Ruth Myers and Warren Myers. 31 Days of Praise (Sisters: Multnomah, 1994), 23.
Lee thought that no one knew what he watched privately on his phone. No lightning bolt had come from the sky to strike him--it was his personal secret. But secret sin isn't a secret from God. A hidden sin is no less a sin than a public one. Both need to be repented from and God forgives both.
Alfonso has two sons who are adults. He's no longer the one to put bandaids on their scraped knees or buy videogames for their birthdays, but he wants to stay connected to his sons in a healthy parent-child relationship. Transitioning from the role of parent of children to parent of adults can be puzzling!
He had the degree. He'd done research with a prestigious university. Month after month went by and my son applied for jobs, networked, interviewed, and interviewed. But not a single job offer in eight months.
We don't encounter the title Lord, much these days, aside from period English dramas or the Lord of the Rings by Tolkien. But the word, Lord, is found throughout the Bible. When written in all capitalized letters, LORD is the English translation of the Hebrew name of God, YHWH, which is a respectful abbreviation of God's name, "I Am Who I Am" from the book of Exodus 3.
Elijah had a difficult task. This prophet, in the Old Testament of the Bible, was God's spokesman in a land that wanted nothing to do with God. The rulers of the land hated Elijah's warnings and they kept trying to kill him. Elijah ran away into the wilderness, thoroughly exhausted, scared, lonely, and depressed.
As crazy as it sounds, God made us because He wanted to have relationship with us. He made us for relationship, for love, which is why we feel so terrible when we're lacking in either one. He made us to need Him and to need one another. That's why He called His people the Body of Christ, with parts that have different functions. We are all different and designed to rely on one another.
Psalm 91 talks about the lion, the adder and the dragon and says that you, as God's trusting child, can triumph over these adversaries. All of the difficulties and challenges that you will ever face in life are represented by one of these three images.
The Bible records Moses as a humble man, but he didn't start out that way. (Numbers 12:3) He went from orphan to prince to fugitive to leader to wanderer. By the time he was called humble, Moses had learned that it was not his personal prestige that defined him, but the grace of God in his life. As a humble man, Moses was dedicated to serving others, even though it cost him personally. Seeing the pain of others very often humbles us, as we recognize how much we've been given.
Life is complicated today. Apart from God's design for living, there are so many lifestyle options, you may be unsure just how to navigate. It makes me think of the cities I've been in throughout the world where driving lanes might be painted on the roads, but no one pays any attention to them; everyone goes their own way as fast as possible, and chaos ensues. We generally think that we can figure out what's best for us, and chafe at a God who limits us or tells us how to live.
The life of David in the Bible is a picture of how humans can do both wonderful and terrible things. David was full of faith and grace, made in the image of God, yet he still sinned, just like us. David's life gives us insight into how to find and follow God's purpose in our lives.
Many of us experience church through the language of economics: funding, budget, promotion, engagement, growth. If we produce a quality church experience, we'll attract more attendees, right? That's a good business model. But the family of God isn't a business.
The apostle Paul, who wrote the letter in the Bible to the Romans, recognized how it seems counterintuitive for humans to place their faith in God. When telling the story of Abraham, who had his first son around age 100, Paul wrote, "against all hope, Abraham in hope believed." Practicing faith isn't the most natural option in our minds.
My friend Ben hates camping. He doesn't like sleeping on the ground, and he especially dislikes when the wind snaps at the tent walls because it's loud, cold, and unsettling. Modern tents are usually made from waterproof performance fabrics, but historically, tents were made from animal skins, which could also be waterproof and flexible.
I grew up in a peaceful home. Fighting was a rare occurrence, that usually involved doing after dinner dishes. The fight invariably ended with some snapping of a dish towel and tears. But if you and I are Christ-followers, we do have some fighting to do in the here and now, because, we've got enemies.
"Going rogue," is the term the authors of the book, Letting Go, use to describe the rebellion of a wayward person. Originally used to describe elephants who had abandoned their roles in the herd for erratic and dangerous behavior, the person who has gone rogue has chosen to ignore God's authority in their lives. They choose a pattern of unrepentant sin and walk away from roles of spouse, sons or daughters, friends, employer or employees. "When a fool decides to reject God's voice, he'll stubbornly and inexplicably allow his life, job, marriage, family, children and money to go up in smoke."[1]
[1] Dave Harvey and Paul Gilbert. Letting Go: Rugged Love for Wayward Souls (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016), 47.
You can probably call to mind a law of your government that you think is unjust. In the United States, interracial marriage was prohibited by law for centuries. In China, giving birth to more than one child was punishable under the law for decades. Disobeying these laws was illegal, but not immoral.
Inventor Benjamin Franklin is credited with creating the soothing seat that's especially popular with mothers and babies. It's called the rocking chair. The chair rests on curved, usually wooden feet, that allow it to sway gently backward and forward in a calming motion.
The Bible book of Psalms is a collection of 150 poems and prayers designed to be set to music. Do you know how commercial jingles or multiplication facts set to music stick in your head? Well, Psalms are meant to permeate our minds in the same way so that we carry them with us always.
The teen movie Mean Girls became a cult classic for its depiction of high school female cruelty and cliques. The movie obviously struck a chord: We women know that we can be horrible to one another, and we've all experienced some degree of treachery in navigating friendships.
Think about this: If our greatest need was money, perhaps God would have sent someone to teach business. If it was of utmost importance that we understand the workings of the universe, maybe Jesus would have taught astrophysics. And, if we lacked information, God could inspire more gospels.
Most of the original ten commandments are phrased in the negative, "you shall not." But the negative is only half the picture. After reminding the Israelites to obey God's commands, Moses spoke these words still inscribed in many Jewish homes, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).
Ever heard the story of King Hezekiah? This Jewish king was a man of integrity who was righteous, was faithful to his family, honest in his work, and glorified the God who set him on the throne. But "After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded," the book of 2 Chronicles tells (32:1).
Have you seen a beach pebble before? The stones are completely smooth, rounded and refined by the constant churning of ocean waves. People who are humble have often experienced that same churning, which is a painful process.
Since ancient times, people have sensed that something stands between God and us. So, all sorts of sacrifices and rituals were invented to try and please God. The Bible says that what is standing in the way is called sin – something that every human does. In contrast, God is the only righteous being.
1:30, 2:30, 3:30…AM. I watched the hours progress slowly on the glowing display of my bedside clock. Why couldn't I shake this anxiety? The worries in my life seemed to parade around my bed, larger, yes, so much larger, than they ever were in the light of day. In the quiet of night, life's burdens, fears and sorrows bubble up to the surface of our minds. Scripture has many things to say about our anxieties and the darkness of the night, but here are two truths to hang onto.