READ: GENESIS 50:15-20; ROMANS 15:23-24; EPHESIANS 1:1-2; 6:19-20 Life as he knew it was over. His most precious possession was out of reach. Impossible to retrieve. He lay on the floor, nose touching the ground, limbs outspread in utter dejection. He was eighteen months old, and his red ball had rolled behind the sofa. She [...]

READ: PSALM 23; 1 JOHN 1:1-5 Chester turned his face to the sun one last time before climbing into the truck. Though the sun hung low in the sky like always, not providing much warmth, Chester knew he would miss it almost as much as he would miss his family. He was leaving all light [...]

READ: EXODUS 34:5-6; MALACHI 3:6; MATTHEW 7:24-29; 14:22-33 The world is constantly changing. There are always new technologies being developed and new ways of doing things. Each generation puts different emphases on different issues. It can be easy to feel like our parents and grandparents don’t understand what we’re facing today because certain things about [...]

READ: PSALM 139; MATTHEW 11:28-30; JOHN 3:17; 16:7-14 I work in the office of our local fire department, and unfortunately sometimes part of the fire department’s job is locating the bodies of people who have drowned. This is a valuable service that can help bring some peace to the victim’s family. However, it can be [...]

READ: ISAIAH 53:1-12; MATTHEW 26:27-28; 27:35-54; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:19, 21 Early I come to behold Your face,Seeking still Your glorious grace,Christ who died…holy…divine,Love crucified.Blessed be the Lord my God,Blessed be, O, blessed be,Blessed be the Lord!In shame the sun did turn away,As darkness in the silence reigned,God in flesh afflicted then,Cursed for all our sin.Holy [...]

READ: ROMANS 2:9-16; 3:21-31; TITUS 3:3-8 It was a sweltering Sunday. We were a few days into the mission trip, and I decided this must be the usual climate in Costa Rica. The small church was filled with people. There was no air conditioning. We were on the third hymn when my vision began blurring. [...]

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-27; 1 PETER 4:10-11 When was the last time you hurt one of your fingers? It happens often— it’s so easy to accidently cut, bruise, break, or burn our fingers, and then we have to figure out how to do everyday things like eat or write or drive with a hurting or [...]

READ: JOHN 1:1-15; 8:12-18; 2 CORINTHIANS 4:6 Vacation time for my family when I was a kid usually involved tents and sleeping bags. We enjoyed the outdoors, and camping helped us stay close to nature—while also saving on hotel costs. As a little kid, I took notice of signs where we camped warning us of [...]

READ: PSALM 23; JOHN 10:1-30 Did you know that sheep can be easily distracted? If a shepherd is leading a flock, and a stranger gets in the way, the sheep can lose their focus on the shepherd and scatter. And when sheep scatter, they can get into trouble. They might get stuck in dangerous places, [...]

READ: PROVERBS 30:5; ACTS 17:1-15 I absolutely love reading about the Berean Jews in the Bible. They show up in Acts 17:11, and in truth, I think this is the only place that mentions them by name. But this one verse is packed with helpful insight on how to live life well. Paul and Silas [...]