READ: PSALM 133:1; EPHESIANS 4:1-6; 1 JOHN 4:19 I got the part; now I needed the costume. At age eleven, I tried out for the role of mascot for my school. The judges picked me, and I prepared to entertain the crowd at football games alongside the cheerleaders. The school didn’t provide a uniform, so [...]

READ: MATTHEW 23:1-12; LUKE 22:25-26; JOHN 13:1-17, 34-35 Wyran, kitchen servant in the palace of Ardh, studied the king’s table, ensuring that not a single grape was out of place. King Terrian had insisted that everything be perfect for his guest. For months, the territory had echoed with praises for the ruler of the distant [...]

READ: PSALM 148; LUKE 19:36-40 The towering oaks, And every blade of grass, Have all spoken. The clouds in the sky, And the birds in the trees, All reply— “Great is He!” Great is the One who made us, Great is the God of gods, Great is the One who loves, And has determined the [...]

READ: HEBREWS 4:14-16 Anger. Sadness. Fear. These and other emotions can be tough to regulate, and it can make us wonder: are emotions even good? God made us with emotions, and they are good. They help us process hard things we face in our world that’s been broken by sin. And emotions can even help [...]

READ: EPHESIANS 2:8-10; 4:17-24; 5:2 Two thousand degrees Fahrenheit. That’s how hot glass has to be heated in order for it to be molded. When professional glassblowers have a glob of this molten material on the end of a tool called a blowpipe, they blow into it to create the shape they want. These artists [...]

READ: PSALM 37:5; PROVERBS 3:5; ISAIAH 26:3-4; 1 PETER 5:6-7 "I don’t think I can go any higher.” I glanced down at my friends, saw how far away the floor was, and gripped the handholds more tightly. I was regretting my decision to go rock climbing. “Okay,” my friend Natalie called, “then just push off.” [...]

READ: EZEKIEL 11:15-21; 39:21-29 "Where is God when there are wars and sicknesses? Where is God when my friends are hurting?" If you’ve asked these questions, you’re not alone. People have been wondering for thousands of years. One person who responded to these questions was Ezekiel, a messenger to God’s people, the Israelites. Ezekiel preached [...]

READ: LUKE 15:11-32; JOHN 3:16-17 In the Old Testament, the coming of the Messiah was foretold by several prophets. Many Israelites thought the Messiah—the One who would save God’s people—would be a political leader who would restore their freedom and save them from their oppressor, Rome. But when Jesus came as the Messiah, He came [...]

READ: MATTHEW 23:11-36; ROMANS 15:7; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:1-21 Jesus Christ had a lot to say about hypocrisy. In Matthew 23, He confronted a group of religious leaders, repeating the phrase, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!” not once, but six times. Jesus called out their self-righteousness. When we think of [...]

READ: ISAIAH 62:5; HOSEA 2:19; JOHN 3:28-31; EPHESIANS 5:25-29 As someone who is married, I think the image of Jesus as a Bridegroom to the church is a beautiful comparison. The love, companionship, and union of marriage is designed to mirror the relationship of Jesus and His church. That’s why one name for Jesus in [...]