"This better be worth it,” I muttered through gritted teeth. The straps of my backpack bit into my shoulders, making each step feel heavier than the last. "Malik said it would be just around this bend. If he's wrong, I'm gonna tell him to carry this stupid weight all this way." I knew it didn't [...]

How should we react when negative and unkind words are spoken to us or about us? Do we react in anger to defend ourselves or get involved in arguments in order to clear our reputations? Do we meditate on these hurtful words and hold grudges? Years back, I would respond to such words in a [...]

Miriam was a prophet, a leader, and a singer. In Exodus 15, she led the women in a dance to the Lord on the day He saved them from slavery in Egypt by parting the Red Sea and defeating the army that pursued them. In this instance, she used her mouth for good, to sing [...]

Confess your sins All the wrong things you do He won't condemn But He will make you new When you are weary Remember the words He's spoken Come to Him He heals the broken God's Word is powerful He's never lied He loves the sinners To them, His grace applied Confess your sins Let Him [...]

"Where is that pearl?" Mira worriedly wound a strand of her long, lavender locks around her finger. She swam up to a glistening sea anemone and peered around it carefully. Nothing! “Hey girl!” Mira whipped around to see the freckle-filled face of her best friend grinning back at her. “Lena! You scared my tail off!” [...]

Sometimes, even the best-laid plans don't work out. There's nothing wrong with planning, and, in fact, it's healthy. However, what I have learned since I was a teen is that God is working His purposes through all things, even when my own plans fall apart. Trust me, I know personally the pain of a lost [...]

Living creatures thirst for water. Thirst is the kind of feeling that makes one unsettled until water is found to quench it. As humans, we also experience spiritual thirst—the kind of thirst God alone can satisfy.In Psalm 42, the psalmist compares his longing and thirst for God to that of a deer for water. When [...]

If I could just reach a little farther Stretching as much as I canI see that hand reaching toward me I feel myself falling awayDown I goSave me!Just like that, I am grabbedHe pulls me upI am rescuedI am warm and wrapped in peace One cry to HimOne catch when I was falling awayI am [...]

Most of us don't enjoy waiting; it feels like a boring, passive exercise. Just the word "waiting" might stir up images of sitting in a doctor's office with nothing to do. Or maybe it feels like the endless days before summer vacation, staring out the window or watching the clock. Waiting seems like a non-activity.As [...]

Sparrows are the most common birds in the world, and almost every type of sparrow is small and beige with brown streaks. It's no surprise that many people, even experienced bird-watchers, have trouble telling them apart! That's why bird-watchers don't just look at outside appearances to tell species apart. Even though many birds look the [...]