Sometimes, I don't know how to pray for people. And that's a bummer, because Jesus calls us to pray for others—for our friends, our leaders, and even our enemies (Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:28; 1 Timothy 2:1-4). But how do you pray when you have no idea what to pray? One thing I've started doing is [...]

For as long as I can remember, I've loved stained glass windows. When sunbeams reach through colored glass and paint the room with rainbows, something inside me stirs. These mosaics of color awaken my heart to wonder. I think beauty draws us closer to the heart of God. Something inside us craves beauty, and if [...]

Sometimes, I read the Bible to study it, paying attention to who wrote each passage, who they were speaking to, what was going on historically and culturally, what the big ideas and themes are stuff like that. When I read the Bible during my quiet time, I often like to have my journal open in [...]

The next morning, we continued down the forest path. After a couple hours, we came to a clearing on the top of a hill. I set down my pack with a grunt. My shoulders were sore where the straps had been digging in. He gestured to my pack and said, “That's a heavy load.” I [...]

After a while, I kept walking. Mercifully, the sun continued its course in the sky and no longer beat down on me. I pulled a crust of stale bread from my pack and ate as I walked. I tried to remember an old hymn to turn my thoughts to praise, but I was too tired [...]

The sun beat down on my back. Was I going the right way? Sweat poured down my face, stinging my eyes. I had known the journey was going to be hard, but I didn't expect it to be—confusing. As I trudged down the path, I squinted to see what lay ahead. Was that? No. Not [...]

A friend changing schools. A sibling getting married. A family member moving to another time zone. It's hard when people we care about leave the rhythms of our everyday lives. Even if we're happy for them, even if we know the change will be good for them, it can still leave us feeling like part [...]

My fingers shook. The rough rock walls around me didn't afford many hand holds. My feet pressed against the sides to keep me from falling down this cold, dark shaft. My knees were scraped, my hands bloody. I lifted my head again to look at the scrap of light far above me. No one was [...]

At the beginning of every spring, I get stressed. The long, harsh winter is finally coming to a close. I know the flowers will start blooming soon, and I worry that I'll miss it. That I'll miss seeing the crocuses peek up through the grass before they're mown over. That I'll miss seeing the flowering [...]

Ashley stopped in front of the school doors and took a deep breath. Over winter break, her stomach had grown considerably larger, and it was impossible to hide it anymore. But if she didn't go in, she would be late for class. "Who cares?" She thought. She wished she could just leave, but where would [...]