When God created the world, He saw that it was good (Genesis 1:31). But when the first humans went their own way against God, sin and brokenness messed up that goodness. While we are still made in God's image, and we like to try to create good things too, we will never reach perfection in [...]

"Laila, don't go in!” I yell, as my friend opens the door of an abandoned hut in the hills. “You can't.” Ignoring my pleas, she whispers, her dark eyes staring back at me, “It's not what you think. I have to, and you will too.” Within seconds, the door creaks shut behind her and is [...]

When God created the world, He gave Adam and Eve the task of caring for the earth. God gave them confidence, strength, and the ability to make decisions. And they had lots of decisions to make—starting with naming all the birds, livestock, and wild animals. I had enough trouble choosing names for my childhood pets. [...]

When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them the gift of a peaceful home. He planted the garden in Eden, and Genesis describes the garden as lush and pleasant, filled with trees and watered by a river. And God saw that this place He had created was good. Adam and Eve could rest in [...]

Easter is a divine mystery, a celebration that leaves us with questions we don't understand. How could God love us so much He would send Jesus to die? How did His body change when He rose from the dead? Why didn't He stay on earth a little longer to spend more time with His disciples? [...]

We have friends who have prayed for a miracle for years. But they haven't yet received their miracle. They haven't heard an answer from God. Why do some people get miracles, while others seem to spend their lives waiting? It's easy to feel like God answers some prayers and ignores others. But what if our [...]

In high school, I wanted to be like my friend Alyssa. Alyssa has a passion for loving others. She's outgoing and good at making friends. I admire how she and her family often travel to serve communities that are struggling. I've been out of high school for seven years now, and I wish I'd known [...]

Last Christmas, our pastor used the hymn “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” as inspiration for a sermon. In the third verse, eighteenth-century preacher Charles Wesley wrote lyrics about how Jesus was born to give us second birth. But what does it mean to have second birth? When Adam and Eve disobeyed God's command, sin and [...]

When I lived in Peru for a few months, some days I felt like I didn't belong. I was a tall, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, one-armed American. I stuck out among my Peruvian neighbors. No matter how many people welcomed me into their homes and their city, I knew I was different. This experience has given me [...]

As humans, we hate the idea of being trapped. We crave freedom because God created us to be free. Yet, we often feel trapped in our broken lives. We are held back by fear, anxiety, doubt, and regrets. Our minds are imprisoned by our own thoughts. We can't dig our way out of our failures [...]