READ: JAMES 5:13-20; 1 JOHN 5:13-15 As a freshman student attending college in the hub of Nashville, Tennessee, I took it upon myself to explore the best coffee stops in the area. One afternoon I happened to visit a small, rustic coffee shop run by a local church. Upon entering, the first thing that caught [...]

READ: MARK 10:13-16 Even though I would be one among a crowd of thousands, I was completely confident I could meet the President of the United States of America. As a child, I joined one of my classes in visiting a political rally. We drove a couple of hours to hear the current president speak [...]

READ: MATTHEW 6:31-34; 22:37-39; 28:18-20; 1 PETER 4:8-11 When I was in my final year of high school, I dreaded the moment when people asked me, “Do you know what you want to do?” It felt like something was wrong with me when I replied, “I don’t know.” There were so many different paths I [...]

READ: PSALM 9:9-10; JOHN 14:16-21; ROMANS 5:5-8; 8:16, 35-39 One morning, I rushed into my parents’ room to say, “Good morning.” Mom removed her wedding ring and shoved it to the bottom of her jewelry box. “Mommy, where’s Daddy?” “He’s not coming back,” she said. I returned to my room and wept in my closet. [...]

READ: EPHESIANS 2:4-9; 3:12-21 One of the things that bothered me about God while I was growing up was that I thought He just loved me because He had to. I learned that God loved the whole world (John 3:16), but I didn’t think He really loved me personally. I thought He just loved me [...]

READ: PSALMS 103:1-22; 139:7-12; JOHN 14:16-18 Have you ever heard someone say, “I really feel the Lord’s presence?” I hear this most often after or during a worship service. Whether it be a church service, youth group, or some other event, I’ve heard many people say they feel closest to God when worshipping through music. [...]

READ: JOHN 8:32; EPHESIANS 6:10-20 I participate in a unique physical therapy program for a spine condition I have. Before getting into a swimming pool, I snap on a wide, thick flotation belt, which makes my body very buoyant. With this big blue belt around my midsection, I go to the deep end and stay [...]

READ: PSALM 103; ISAIAH 1:18 Egg-eaters are one of a chicken keeper’s worst nightmares. Nothing can ruin your day faster than when you head out to the henhouse, only to discover your hens have smashed their freshly laid eggs, leaving you with nothing but a sticky, eggy mess to clean up. I found myself in [...]

READ: JUDGES 3:12-30; 1 CORINTHIANS 1:18-31; 2 CORINTHIANS 12:6-10 In a world that prized normal, I was abnormal. A left-hander in a world of righties. For me, being left-handed meant not learning archery because there were no left-handed bows. Not being able to use most scissors. Being left-handed made me feel like the villain rather [...]

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 [...]