READ: LUKE 15:11-32 I was reading through the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15 recently, and instead of paying attention to the parts of the story that I normally would or that are normally preached on, I felt jealous of the young man in the story. I thought about how nice it would [...]

READ: PSALM 23; ROMANS 8:28-29; JAMES 1:5 My dog, Gibson, wakes me up very early every morning. Some mornings I just feed him, and other mornings I take the time to let him outside. But either way, it’s still dark when we get up. Because the rest of the family is still asleep, I often [...]

READ: JAMES 1:2-4; 1 PETER 2:21-23 Do you remember the last time you had a cold? Maybe you had a scratchy, sore throat, congested sinuses, body aches, a fever, or all of those at once. Colds can be pretty awful. Do you have someone to help you when you get sick? Someone who’ll bring you [...]

READ: EXODUS 12:31-42; MATTHEW 4:1-11 Have you ever seen a desert before? Maybe you’ve been to Arizona, New Mexico, or Southern California, where some of the terrain is desert. The land is often rugged, rocky, and barren, with little plant life and plenty of dangerous animals. The desert is also remote; not many people live [...]

READ: MATTHEW 21:12-16; REVELATION 4:8-11; 5:8-14 God is ever being praised—His land, His sea, His sky, His waves!All creation His glory sings—Every creature extols Him King!Angels hallelujahs raise—O Holy One, the Ancient of Days!Mighty and just in all His ways,Forever shall His name be praised!Come join the everlasting song—All voices blended, raised as one!From mouths [...]

READ: PSALM 119:97-104; JEREMIAH 15:15-17; MATTHEW 4:4 What is your favorite food? Think about how good it feels to eat that food, especially when you’re hungry! Now, listen to what the prophet Jeremiah says: “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, Lord [...]

READ: PSALMS 23:4; 37:1-9; 139:1-18; ROMANS 8:28-29 Somewhere along in my life, I realized I loved taking photos. To me, it was the most amazing thing to be able to capture a moment forever. A camera is one of the best tools for rendering an image we want to remember. It takes the light and [...]

READ: JOHN 13:3-17; 15:7-17; ROMANS 10:9-13; EPHESIANS 2:1-10 The knight Yavain was on the verge of tears as he pulled off his dying comrade’s helmet. “Why on earth would you do that—my life is not any more valuable than yours, Rosalind.” As he cradled her head, Yavain noticed she wore the royal crest around her [...]

READ: PSALM 63:1-5; JOHN 4:7-14; 6:35; 7:37-39; ROMANS 14:7-12 As two knights of the Carissian court traveled through the forest on a scouting mission, they passed the time discussing their different beliefs. Rosalind brought up what she called the Holy Spirit. “In my end, dear friend, it is not water that I thirst for, but [...]

READ: PSALM 25:16-17; 1 SAMUEL 18:1-4; 20:1-42; JOHN 15:13-15 When I was sixteen, it felt like my world was crumbling. My best friend had a boyfriend, spent all her time dancing for a prestigious ballet company, and excelled at math and science. Meanwhile, I was lonely, struggling to improve at my hobbies, and hated math [...]