In Luke 15, Jesus tells a parable where a father has two sons. The younger son asks for his inheritance, even though his father is still alive. The father does not scold his son but willingly and freely gives him the inheritance, although it was not the usual thing to do—and the way the son [...]

One morning, while out for a nature walk, I observed a group of tiny sparrows mobbing a large hawk perched in a tree. Why did they do that, when the hawk was so much bigger than them? Well, while the hawk looked harmless perched in a tree doing nothing, the sparrows knew it was a [...]

Who is my enemy? I feel like anyone who hurts me in some way is an enemy in that moment. I know I get hurt a lot, so I get lots of opportunities to pray for my enemies! How can I do this? Asking God for wisdom in how to pray is step number one. [...]

"No one cares what happens to me,” you mumble, wrinkling up the paper you'd been writing on. “What's the point of even trying?” We've all had times when it felt like it was us against the world. We had a problem we needed to tackle, and we didn't feel any support from anyone as we [...]

The night had been long. Simon felt bone-weary as he cleaned his fishing nets. There on the shore, surrounded by a large crowd, was Jesus. This man had already healed many. He taught with such authority; He had even driven out a demon who called Him “the Holy One of God.” Simon was wondering what [...]

We were all lined up for the egg toss contEsther Jack threw our team's egg, and SPLAT! The raw egg hit my new pink blouse and broke. As it slid down the front, it left a long trail. Jack laughed so hard, his body spiraled down to the ground like water draining out of a [...]

There was a golden engraving on the massive wooden door in front of me: “House of Wisdom” it read. Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door. Inside, my eyes were greeted by a plush entryway, red velvet under my feet, and glistening ruby walls. A curved, golden staircase stretched up farther than I [...]

The rich scent of trees and earth fill the deep woods. Waves of alternating warm and cool breezes wash over your skin as you step from the shadows to the sunlight and back again. Bright eyes of a cherished friend sharing a story. Wide smiles and wrinkled hands of the ones who have been there [...]

Have you ever been content, then out of nowhere a problem or difficult situation replayed itself in your mind? You are not alone. One day, during some solitary time with God, a troubling memory flashed inside. It clouded my mind, and heaviness rested in my heart as I relived a particular trial I'd had. The [...]

One of the biggest issues I struggled with in middle school was the overwhelming pressure to find an identity. Most of my friends had their “things”—hobbies, talents, or interests that seemed to define them as a person. I had a few interests and practiced several activities, but I thought that because I hadn't locked into [...]