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 [...]

READ: DEUTERONOMY 7:7-8; PSALM 34; ROMANS 8 I twirled the marble beads on my bracelet, cool against my skin. Grey, grey, bright blue. The turquoise color had intricate swirls of sky blue, the result making the bead look like an ever-moving sky. These bracelets reminded us of the love of Ahavah, the love He daily [...]

READ: PSALM 23; PHILIPPIANS 4:11-13; HEBREWS 13:5 Growing up, I participated in a program at my church where I learned Bible stories and memorized Scripture. I remember memorizing Psalm 23 when I was in second grade. However, the words of this psalm didn’t mean nearly as much to me as a seven-year-old as they do [...]

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 13:9-13; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-7 Have you gone through something really hard lately? Maybe there’s been sickness or a death in your family. Maybe your parents are separating, or your best friend moved away, or your family is struggling financially. Even if you haven’t personally experienced suffering like this yet, chances are you [...]

READ: LAMENTATIONS 3:22-26; EPHESIANS 3:14-21; 1 JOHN 4:16 Ten or fifteen years ago, when I was a teenager and struggling through that often awkward and difficult phase of life, I wish I had known just how much God loved me. I knew of God’s love. I felt it in my life. But I didn’t realize [...]

READ: GENESIS 32:24-32; HOSEA 12:3-5; EPHESIANS 4:22-24 When I was an RA (resident assistant) in college, I had this resident who used to tell me she and God had been “wrestling” about something. She would spend entire days with the Lord, crying and repenting, and wrestling with Him about different behaviors and attitudes in her [...]