READ: PSALMS 39:4-7; 90:1-17 When I was young, my family would visit my grandmother 750 miles away, and at night, she would sit with me on her lap and read from her Bible and tell stories of her life. She often said, “It wasn’t long ago I was your age.” I would look at her [...]

READ: PSALM 37:1-7; PROVERBS 16:1-9; 19:20-22 As a young child, I dreamed of many variations of my future: a ballerina (which I was told I could never accomplish), or a nurse who flies in helicopters to help with medical emergencies, or an environmentalist who protects God’s creation. I also fantasized about opening a shop that [...]

It's okay to not know what is to come. It's alright to go into a new year or phase of life without plans or expectations. My expectations don't always happen anyway. My plans aren't always for the bEsther But when I look to Jesus, when I ask Him to guide my life, everything will turn [...]

The holiday season isn't always a time of joy. Stress can push at us from all sides—family, school deadlines, Christmas preparations, etc. Life is shaky. And not just for us. While Ahaz was king of Judah, his life was pretty shaky too. Both Syria and Israel (what was left of it after it split from [...]

Curling up with a gripping read is something I love to do, and I'm blessed to regularly receive novels from family or friends so that I rarely have to buy one. For ages, after reading them, I would keep these precious books on shelves or in boxes in the loft until I realized that I [...]

Our world is full of turmoil—torn apart by wars, filled with pain and brokenness. And yet, despite all the chaos, we continue to rise. Abba's Own, we call ourselves. No longer are we enslaved by the Dark Shadow. We are free. Before Abba called us as His own, our sins consumed us, our minds were [...]

Tuesday is my favorite day of the week because I get to sing with my friends in choir. I used to mentally divide my whole week into days that were Tuesday and days that weren't. The non-Tuesdays only served to get me to Tuesday. I was on mental pause for 86 percent of my week [...]

Marching up to the battle line Gleaming armor so sublime Ready to fight Satan's evil Held in this dark His army, oh so stark God's army was strong Heads held up in this throng Hearts brave and bold Our story unfolds Victory is ours The strong hearts empowered Chase away the evil No longer feeble [...]

The story of the Israelites' journey through the desert to the land God promised them is striking in many ways. One of my favorite parts is in Numbers 9:17, “Whenever the cloud lifted from over the sacred tent, the people of Israel would break camp and follow it. And wherever the cloud settled, the people [...]

One of my favorite Bible stories is when Mary of Bethany anoints Jesus. After the Lord raised her brother, Lazarus, from the dead, she took an expensive flask of perfume, worth nearly a year's wages. It was likely the most expensive thing she owned, and she used it to anoint Jesus's feet, gently wiping His [...]