READ: PSALM 32:7-8; ISAIAH 42:16; LUKE 1:78-79; JOHN 1:1-12 Merrick lifted the candle as he clutched his tunic. He felt the sand underfoot as shadows danced on the cave walls. “Beautiful, yes?” Father’s voice comforted him and pushed him to ignore the darkness. Yes, it was breathtaking—like a hidden world. “All this time,” Merrick said, [...]

READ: MATTHEW 11:28-30; 1 TIMOTHY 1:12-16; 2 PETER 3:8-18 "Just be a little more patient with me...all I’m asking is that you let me figure things out, let me grow, let me work on myself a little and become better at this..." Have you ever been in a place where it felt like everyone was pushing [...]

READ: SONG OF SONGS 2; 8:6-7; EPHESIANS 5:25-32 Today we’re looking at a book in the Old Testament called Song of Songs. Many readers are confused when they find this love poem in the Bible. It talks about the passionate love between this husband and wife, written in a way that no one speaks today. But [...]

READ: ISAIAH 56:5; ACTS 11:26; 1 PETER 4:16 Do you know what your name means? Across cultures, names have meanings, and when we give names to babies, those meanings can be a beautiful way to communicate love and care for the newest members of our families. Proverbs 22:1 says, “A good name is more desirable [...]

READ: ROMANS 8:28; 1 CORINTHIANS 13:12; REVELATION 21:1-5 It might seem odd, but I often think of kittens when I consider a very hard question: “Where is God with all the hurt going on?” It’s a question I ask a lot, especially since my husband is a news reporter, so I often get a front-row [...]

READ: JOHN 1:14; 3:16-17; COLOSSIANS 1:12-14 I think being a professional kitten rescuer might be one of the cutest jobs in existence. But the practical realities of the job are anything but cute.  When a rescuer receives foster kittens into their home, these tiny rescue kittens need lots of attention, and the care they need is [...]

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 9:19-23; PHILIPPIANS 2:5-8 I sat down at a table lavishly spread with traditional Romanian foods. And that was the day I began eating meat again. Years ago, at age sixteen, my best friend and I ordered steak sandwiches while on a school trip. Our meals arrived undercooked. Even though the staff remedied the [...]

READ: JOHN 14:18; REVELATION 21:1-5; 22:20 One semester, while my friend was taking a seminary class on Tuesday mornings, I’d watch her two-year-old daughter. These mornings were typically filled with coloring, reading books, eating snacks, and other fun things my friend’s daughter and I enjoyed doing together. One morning though, this dear little toddler was really missing [...]

READ: JOHN 16:33; ROMANS 8:17-39; 1 PETER 1:6-7 I once saw a bowling team that called themselves, "It’s All Good." Wouldn’t it be awesome if the saying "it’s all good" were true? Sadly, troubles abound on earth. But even as we acknowledge these troubles, let’s also explore a promise that offers real hope for truly good endings. In Romans [...]

READ: PHILIPPIANS 4:6-8, HEBREWS 4:14-16; 1 PETER 5:7 When I was thirteen, I attended my first church camp. I experienced life-changing things, like when I encountered 1 Peter 5:7, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” I’d never noticed this verse before, but that week 1 Peter 5:7 sank into [...]