READ: ROMANS 8:28-39; EPHESIANS 2:1-10; PHILIPPIANS 1:3-11; 2:13 Have you ever watched a carpenter at work? My grandfather is a skilled woodcarver, and as a young child I thought it was so cool to see him take an ordinary block of wood and turn it into an amazing work of art. Often, it was difficult [...]

READ: GENESIS 3; ROMANS 8:19-39; GALATIANS 3:13-14 I love trees. They’re strong, and beautiful, and their shade feels great on a hot day. The real reason I like them so much, though, has nothing to do with their physical characteristics. I love trees because they remind me of God’s redemption. How do they do that? [...]

READ: PSALMS 40:1-3; 119:1-16; 1 JOHN 1:8–2:2 Tanisha stepped off her lander onto the strange planet. The ground was soft, almost gelatinous. Odd formations surrounded her. But when she took a step toward one, her navigator—programmed by the king himself to guide her on her mission—beeped insistently. Glancing at it, she saw it was directing [...]

READ: PSALM 136:1-9; ISAIAH 40:26-31; COLOSSIANS 1:15-20 Twinkle, twinkle, little starHigh above, so very farOne of trillions, each in placeIn the vast expanse of spaceYet they can’t start to compareWith the God who put them thereWho formed planets with a wordAnd on each a name conferredA God all powerful and wiseYet on humankind He rests [...]

READ: DEUTERONOMY 31:8; PSALM 139:1-12; ROMANS 8:26-39 When I don’t understandMy racing mindYou know meWhen I’m aloneIn the darkYou see meWhen my cries are silentAnd the words won’t comeYou hear meWhen I’m lostAnd desperateYou find meWhen I stumbleAnd fall apart againYou love meWhen I’m tired and weakAnd I feel like giving upYou’re with me • [...]