The time: World War II. The place: a printing shop in a village in the Netherlands. Several men, including my grandfather, were busy working for the resistance, printing pamphlets against Hitler and the Nazis. They had been sending these pamphlets through the Underground for a long time to build support for the resistance. Suddenly, the [...]

You didn't make the team. That singing part you were trying out for? The girl who always gets the main part got it again. No one invited you to that party. Your parents are disappointed with your grades yet again. Life is full of pressure to perform and be “enough.” And, as much as you [...]

How many times have you misread a text or an email? Now, let's flip it: how many times have you had a message misinterpreted? Maybe you took your friend's sarcasm literally, or—in a hurry to get the message out—you typed the wrong date in an important text. As Christians, we're called to represent God and [...]

Ever been wide awake at night? Maybe you're afraid of the unknown. Maybe you're overwhelmed with a never-ending to-do list. Maybe you're heartbroken by injustice and brokenness in the world. When I can't sleep—which happens to me a lot—I often end up reading the Psalms. They are like a prayer journal: the psalmists praise God [...]

God is very good, and He wants us to know Him. He shows—or reveals—who He is to us in two ways. First, He created the universe and filled it with good things. Even though our world is broken by the effects of sin, everything in creation was created good and that goodness remains and points [...]

Today, there was a time change. In many parts of the world, lots of people turned their clocks back an hour and sighed at the prospect of one more blissful hour of sleep. I don't know about you, but I definitely counted that as a blessing. But turning our clocks back is an anomaly. Getting [...]

Have you ever asked for something for your birthday and not gotten what you asked for? Maybe the gift you asked for was too expensive, or maybe your parents knew the gift you asked for wasn't what was best for you. In 1 John 5:14, John writes that, when you go before God in prayer, [...]

I was days away from graduating college. Having just completed my final exam, I walked to the front of the room to turn it in. The professor stopped me. “I'd like to see you in my office later. We have things to discuss.” My stomach sank to my knees. “Is something wrong?” “Yes.” Immediately, I [...]

Music filled the air as the church celebrated Palm Sunday. Everyone was joyful—except me. As I sat in my pew, I realized I doubted the Bible. What should have been a joyous day became dark. My doubts scared me—what if I went to hell because of them? I entered a period of struggle and doubt, [...]

The last stars winked out. The sun rose, as it had countless mornings before. The oxygenated atmosphere glowed blue, and the clouds pink and yellow. Birds chirped and warbled to greet the day as the insects fell silent. But this morning was different from the others. It wasn't the smell of the air, the dew [...]