Matthew 27 describes one of the most heart-wrenching episodes ever recorded. After hours of physical beating, the Son of God, the promised Messiah, is now on trial before Pilate. He is there because Judas, one of His disciples, has betrayed Him. The other disciples, some of whom declared their allegiance to Him only hours before, [...]

One of my favorite Bible stories is when Mary of Bethany anoints Jesus. After the Lord raised her brother, Lazarus, from the dead, she took an expensive flask of perfume, worth nearly a year's wages. It was likely the most expensive thing she owned, and she used it to anoint Jesus's feet, gently wiping His [...]

Before Jesus left this earth, before He rose from the dead, even before He went to the cross, He made a promise to His disciples. He let them know that they would see Him again one day. We can hold on to that same promise and know that Jesus is preparing a place in His [...]

He never got over being excited about the resurrection of Jesus. It was the central event of his life. Nearly every minute of every day throughout the year, his enthusiasm was obvious. His name was Rev. William J. Irey. I'm very thankful he was my dad. A lot of ministers and a lot of Christian [...]

I've been learning so much about the world. I had no idea Satan had his fingers so curled. It isn't much like the time of my childhood, What was once sweet now reeks with wormwood. I find no rest in what I used to enjoy. The world seemed a bit brighter when I was a [...]

Your classmate or coworker enters the room, cringing. Her face is flushed and her eyes sparkle with unshed tears. A group of people start smirking, nudging each other and staring at their cell phones at a video of her at a party. Although you don't really know her, you realize she is suffering. Maybe you're [...]

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 [...]

I have three observations about the people (and there are lots of them!) who we can read about in the Bible. In a span of over two thousand years, there are hundreds of people mentioned. Observation #1: There is someone like you somewhere in the pages of Scripture. There are young and old and in [...]

Have you heard the expression “have faith”? What does it mean to have faith? One biblical example is a woman whose name we never hear. She is simply called the widow of a prophet. When her husband died, he left behind some debt. In those times, someone in debt often hired out themself or their [...]

**Editor's note: Today's reading discusses suicide*** If you ever want to see God's power and glory right by His compassion and gentleness, read 1 Kings 17-19. Elijah experienced the full gamut of God's character in these chapters. Elijah was a prophet (someone who spoke to God's people on His behalf) in Israel at a time [...]