Unlocked Archives

  • December 12, 2021

    Darkness. That's all I'd ever seen. I'd heard countless people's voices. I'd tasted numerous kinds of food. However, I didn't actually know what humans looked like. I'd never seen one. I'd never seen the fruit I ate or the money I begged. But I knew the weight of the thin, round coins, and I could [...]

  • December 10, 2021

    Our world is full of turmoil—torn apart by wars, filled with pain and brokenness. And yet, despite all the chaos, we continue to rise. Abba's Own, we call ourselves. No longer are we enslaved by the Dark Shadow. We are free. Before Abba called us as His own, our sins consumed us, our minds were [...]

  • December 8, 2021

    As I watch the snow fall outside my window, I notice all it is covering up. Just yesterday, my sister remarked that nothing really looked beautiful. The trees were gray and free of leaves. The little snow that was on the ground had already been trampled and made dirty. The world was in need of [...]

  • December 6, 2021

    Tuesday is my favorite day of the week because I get to sing with my friends in choir. I used to mentally divide my whole week into days that were Tuesday and days that weren't. The non-Tuesdays only served to get me to Tuesday. I was on mental pause for 86 percent of my week [...]

  • December 4, 2021

    What does it mean to live as a Christian in a non-Christian world? Many of the first Christians were asking this question, and God provided answers that still hold true for us today. For example, God inspired Paul to write a letter to the Christians in Corinth, and he addressed specific problems they were facing. [...]

  • December 2, 2021

    "State your name and business,” the guard at the gate of the prison ordered. “And be quick about it!” Onesiphorus swallowed hard. “My name is Onesiphorus, and I am seeking Paul of Tarsus. Can you tell me where he is?” The soldier narrowed his eyes. “Are you an accomplice of this Paul? He is our [...]

  • November 29, 2021

    Torchlight flickered in the dark, casting shadows on faces, reflecting golden light off the water—beautiful, and wrong. My mother's body was laid in the funeral boat and covered with flowers. Someone said, “It was her time to go.” The comment stung me, just like all the other well-meaning condolences. Their voices still prattled on in [...]

  • November 27, 2021

    Once, I visited someone with a seven-year-old daughter. Her father would play with her every evening after work and then ask her what gift she wanted him to bring the following day. The little girl would excitedly mention a number of things she wanted. However, day after day, the father would not bring anything home [...]

  • November 23, 2021

    Job 19:25-27 is my favorite passage in the Bible because it assures me of seeing my Blessed Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, when He resurrects His people from the dead. This fills me with joyful hope and great expectation. I have something amazing to look forward to! The book of Job starts by recording heavenly [...]

  • November 21, 2021

    There was a time when there was no rain in Israel for three years. God did this because King Ahab and Israel had acted wickedly. So God sent the prophet Elijah to say there would be no rain or even dew for a long time. Because of the drought, food was scarce. Life was hard. [...]