READ: PSALMS 34:1-22; 61:1-2; 121:1-8; 139:1-5 When I whisper Answer me, God When I scream Be the One who hears When I can’t speak Hear my thoughts When I break Put all of my pieces together When I’m lost Bring me home, God When I’m scared Calm my fears When I fail Show me the [...]

I adored the cowboy boots Papa bought me at the feed store. But running in them for gym class had gotten difficult. I just had to find my missing purple sneakers; they were my only other shoes appropriate for school. Now, if I could only remember where I'd left them. . For almost two weeks, [...]

READ: EXODUS 34:5-7; MATTHEW 18:23-35; ROMANS 2:4 Patience is a virtue we all need. It took me many years to realize my need for this virtue. This realization came to me when I had a misunderstanding with someone I was helping. She was not willing to take a step I thought was right for her, [...]

READ: JOHN 5:17; ROMANS 8:18-28, 38-39; REVELATION 21:1-5 Have you ever stopped to really look at a piece of wood? Straight lines, intermingled with lots of circles and twists—that’s the diverse beauty you’ll see in wood grain. And those circles and twists, called burls or knots, tell a story. Burls are found where a branch [...]

READ: COLOSSIANS 4:2-6; TITUS 3:1-9 I love Jesus, and I love talking to people about Jesus. I always have. But I’ve definitely made some mistakes in how I tell non-Christians about Him. So, I’m going to confess some of these mistakes—and what God has taught me through them. Often, I would spend a lot of [...]

READ: LUKE 10:25-37; 2 TIMOTHY 2:23-24 Jesus puts a high emphasis on loving God and loving our neighbors. But sometimes, a person we’re trying to show the love of Christ to has an opinion that we completely disagree with. Maybe they’re even part of an entirely different religion. Are they still our neighbor? In the [...]

READ: JOHN 21:1-14 Cooking is an important part of the kingdom of God. Don’t believe me? Jesus Himself used cooking in His ministry. After Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, He appeared several times to His followers. But one particular appearance involved a fishy breakfast. The night before it happened, some [...]

READ: ROMANS 15:7; COLOSSIANS 2:12-13; 3:9-14; 1 PETER 5:6 If we were real with God, that deep well of frustration, discontentment, or fear could be emptied one putrid bucket at a time and filled with His unfailing love, faithfulness, and grace. Without recognition and an honest emptying of the ugly, how can we make room [...]

READ: EPHESIANS 4:1-32; COLOSSIANS 3:1-17 There are certain people in our lives who test our patience. When we’re around them, we might find ourselves acting in ways we don’t normally act. For example, we might struggle to spend time with little children, or we might find it difficult to relate to older people. Or there [...]

READ: ROMANS 8:1-2, 15-18, 26-39; 10:9-13 I shouldn’t have done that, you think to yourself after you’ve sinned. I’m a Christian now—or at least I thought I was. Maybe I’m not really saved after all. This is a common worry among Christians, but take heart. If you’ve put your trust in Jesus to rescue you [...]