READ: MATTHEW 13:44-45; PHILIPPIANS 3:7-21 The luxury car went first. Then the jeep. Then the convertible was sold too. Neighbors scratched their heads, and whispers started running through the neighborhood. Lawsuits? Debts? Drugs? No one knew. All the designer clothes went next. And the shoes. Instead of high-end heels, she was seen walking around town [...]

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 3:5-9; 2 PETER 3:9; 1 JOHN 4:19 Have you ever worked behind the scenes in a theater production? Much of the work that goes into making a show great—designing the set, moving set pieces during the performance, timing special effects, running the sound systems, doing cast members’ makeup and hair, etc.—is not [...]

READ: JOHN 1:12; GALATIANS 4:4-7; COLOSSIANS 1:9-14 Imagine you were royalty…and didn’t know it. Here’s the scene: you were kidnapped as a baby. Then, after years and years, your family finds you! But even after they do, you’re not sure how to live like royalty. You’re offered a place to live in the palace, but [...]

READ: GENESIS 1:27; LUKE 8:1-3; MATTHEW 27:45-56 Sometimes, when I look at our broken world and I see more and more ways that women have been treated as less than men, I just get overwhelmed. Sometimes I wonder, does God see women as less than men? Are we less? One day, I was sitting alone [...]

READ: PSALM 77:11-12; ROMANS 15:4; 2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17 Do you find parts of the Bible boring to read? You’re not alone. The Bible was written by lots of people who were inspired by the Holy Spirit, and these different people lived over a long period of time. The Bible is made up of all kinds [...]

READ: PSALM 13:1-6; MATTHEW 11:28-30; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-11; HEBREWS 4:14-16 I am tired, so ready to give in I am weak, I cannot stand on my own I need rest, some way to take a break I need peace, a chance to put away my thoughts I am anxious, so much to get done I [...]

READ: PSALM 139:13-16; PROVERBS 14:30; JOHN 10:7-11 “If only I could be like Carter,” I wished for the millionth time. “Just naturally confident.” Trudging through the crowds on my way home, I thought about all the popular college students. Unlike me. Everyone in front of me seemed to stride with purpose, while a heaviness dragged [...]

READ: ISAIAH 26:19; EZEKIEL 37:1-14; 1 CORINTHIANS 15:12-20, 51-52 Earth will give birth to you. Your body, as it decomposes, will scatter particles back into the biosphere of our planet. This has happened to all members of the human race, the highborn and the lowly. But this isn’t permanent. A day is coming when Jesus [...]

READ: PSALMS 34:1-22; 61:1-2; 121:1-8; 139:1-5 When I whisper Answer me, God When I scream Be the One who hears When I can’t speak Hear my thoughts When I break Put all of my pieces together When I’m lost Bring me home, God When I’m scared Calm my fears When I fail Show me the [...]

READ: EXODUS 34:5-7; MATTHEW 18:23-35; ROMANS 2:4 Patience is a virtue we all need. It took me many years to realize my need for this virtue. This realization came to me when I had a misunderstanding with someone I was helping. She was not willing to take a step I thought was right for her, [...]