I struggled to lift my head up to peer into the distance. I was sure it was close, but I wasn't sure if I could make it. My battle with the dragon had left me deeply wounded; I had barely survived the attack. My only hope was to get to the King's strong tower for [...]

This time of year, many people set out nativity scenes that depict baby Jesus in the manger to remind us of our Savior's humble birth. My family's nativity set was made of sturdy wooden pieces so the kids could touch the figures and play with them. Even children can understand something of the beauty and [...]

Elisha is an Old Testament prophet, and God performed many mighty miracles through him. He healed Naaman of leprosy (2 Kings 5), raised a dead boy back to life (2 Kings 4), and stopped the Aramean army from doing violence (2 Kings 6). But in the midst of these stories, we also read about some [...]

Do you ever think about eternity? As a little kid, I used to lie awake at night, thinking about what it would be like to live forever and ever and ever—with no end. An eternal life with God! There was no way to wrap my mind around the idea. No matter how many zeroes I [...]

Most of us don't enjoy waiting; it feels like a boring, passive exercise. Just the word "waiting" might stir up images of sitting in a doctor's office with nothing to do. Or maybe it feels like the endless days before summer vacation, staring out the window or watching the clock. Waiting seems like a non-activity.As [...]

Levi was not a popular guy; in fact, most people didn't like Levi at all. In Jewish society during Jesus's time, tax collectors were despised as the lowest of the low. They worked for the enemy—Rome. They cheated their own people, and they got rich doing it. That was the kind of man Levi was—but [...]

While hiking on a trail in the Smoky Mountains, my husband and I needed to make a decision. The sign had said the trail was only a few miles—but it didn't say we were headed uphill through rough terrain. Hot and weary, we considered going back, but once we realized how far we had already [...]

Wandering, lost, and alone. How long have I been like this? My sins are against me, sapping my strength. Bones wasting away, I groan in agony. Those I had trusted in betrayed and enslaved me—quite honestly, my own evil heart enslaved me. This heart is as hard as stone, my transgressions heavy from the time [...]

In John 5:1-9, Jesus goes to Jerusalem, to a place called the pool of Bethesda. The author, John, who was probably with Jesus at the time, tells us there were “a great number of disabled people” (verse 3) at the pool of Bethesda. Some of these people were blind, some couldn't walk, and some were [...]

For Christians, Easter is all about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But some people have fuzzy or unclear ideas about what that really means. They might see the resurrection as a symbol for new beginnings and second chances. Some churches even teach that the resurrection means “the spirit of Jesus lives on in His people.” [...]