READ: NUMBERS 23:19; PSALMS 100:5; 102:25-27; MALACHI 3:6 If you had asked me three years ago if I could ever see my life being what it is today, I would have given a definite “no.” At the time, my family—and world— were in a completely different place. The changes that I’ve gone through were unexpected [...]

READ: GENESIS 3:1-9; PSALMS 89:9; 107:29; EPHESIANS 2:4-10 Nyoka twisted her scaly blue body around and laughed as she watched the other merpeople, who swam behind her. The chilly ocean water and vibrant coral made it a perfect day for a game of capture the flag. As she continued to maneuver her way through the [...]

READ: PSALM 139:7-10, LUKE 15:1-7, 11-32 My dog Ellie likes a good run around the neighborhood. She likes to escape out the front door, even if it’s only open a crack. She doesn’t come back without a chase, she is NOT smart when it comes to the busy street we live on, and if there’s [...]

READ: ISAIAH 9:6; ROMANS 5:1; COLOSSIANS 1:15-22 Jesus purchased peace for me,died upon that cursed tree;Now He is my hope and rest,beneath His blood our righteousness.Yes, He offers peace to all—always, ever, loving.Jesus fills my heart with song,paid the debt for every wrong;Now He makes my face to shine,His own love becoming mine.Yes, He offers [...]

READ: JOHN 16:33; ROMANS 1:12; 12:15; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:1-12 Second Corinthians 1:1-12 has been one of my favorite Bible passages for quite a while. Paul and Timothy are encouraging the Christians in Corinth, saying, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all [...]

READ: DEUTERONOMY 31:6; PSALM 94:14; JOHN 14:18 I am adopted from China. From what little I know (and understand), my biological mother abandoned me in a public area to be taken to an orphanage. Even though I was adopted as a little baby, I have insecurities about being abandoned or left behind again, although none [...]

READ: 2 CORINTHIANS 9:6-11 Have you ever thought, “I’d give all my money for that”? We may have this thought about possessions we really want to have, but it also may occur to us when someone we love is hurt. We might be hesitant to give our hard-earned dollars to something that feels distant, like [...]

READ: EPHESIANS 6:13-18; HEBREWS 4:12 Have you ever tried to cut food with a dull knife? The process can be frustrating—and messy! Similarly, a dull pencil can hardly write, and a dull chisel will not only make slow progress, but it might end up ruining the item it’s supposed to be shaping. A dull tool [...]

READ: PSALMS 34:4-10; 46:1-3; JEREMIAH 29:13-14; 1 PETER 5:6-7 Since I was eleven, I would write down the exciting points of my life and put them in my journal. It was a way to acknowledge all the hidden thoughts and emotions in my mind. This journal was also filled with anxious thoughts. These pages would [...]

READ: MATTHEW 28:20; ROMANS 8:12-25; REVELATION 2:12-17 Just when you think it can’t get any darker, I murmured as I watched over the hidden compound where we had to bring more Believers that morning. A small girl and her older brother were wrapped in a ragged blanket, hungrily eating hot soup. I wished we had [...]