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: PSALMS 73:28; 119:67-71; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:4-7; HEBREWS 12:5-12 Let’s continue our study on suffering. Suffering exists because God’s good world has been broken by sin. Today, we’ll talk about how, for believers, suffering has significance—or meaning—for our lives, both in the present and for eternity. Scripture reveals this in a couple of ways. First, [...]

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 [...]

READ: ISAIAH 53:2-6; ROMANS 8:17-39; REVELATION 21:3-4 At age seventeen, Joni Eareckson Tada awoke after a diving accident—paralyzed from the shoulders down. Thus began her new life—from a wheelchair. Over time, Joni became known for her contagious joy and her compassionate ministry to others. As a teen, Joni’s story made me think hard about suffering. Should [...]

Why do we do kind things for other people? If we really examine our motives,/is it so we'll win points with them and make them like us? Or do we think doing good deeds will win us points with God?.In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul is writing to the Christians in Corinth, and he says: no [...]

When you start worrying about things happening in your life or in the world around you, look at the stars..If it isn't dark out and you can't see the stars,/then look at the wildflowers..If it's too cold for wildflowers, then look at the snowflakes that fall from the sky..There are endless stars in the sky, [...]

When you were little, did you ever dress up as royalty—making paper crowns, walking around in old fancy clothes from a dress-upbin, or sitting on imaginary thrones and bossing around the people of your pretend kingdom?.While the imaginary kingdoms of our youth weren't real, as Christians, we can know that we belong to God's very [...]

Wind colder than the day before swarmed into the shallow mountain cavern/and bit at the exposed skin on the back of Mior's neck that she hadn't been/able to cover with her cloak. She shivered, readjusted the cloak, then clasped her/hands together to finish her prayer..Footsteps scratched the rock at the entrance. The stench of a [...]

Do you know the story of Paul? He was not a good guy when he was young, and he went by the name Saul. He had Christians arrested. In Acts 7:54”€œ8:2, we see how Saul stood by in support while Stephen was being stoned to death. Saul had plans to do all kinds of bad [...]

One of my favorite parts of our family vacations at the beach was boogieboarding. My sister and I picked out boogieboards with colorful designs at the store, packing them into the car loaded with our luggage. Every summer, we looked forward to bringing those boards with us on our ocean getaways, the promise of another exciting [...]