Chapter 1 of the book of Esther is a cautionary tale of the consequences of foolish decision-making. There are many lessons that we can glean from the foolish choices made by King Ahasuerus in Esther 1:13-18. King Ahasuerus, insulted and humiliated by Queen Vashti, allows his advisors to determine his
Doubt Turned to Praise Today we look further into Zechariah’s song. Zechariah was the father of John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus. But when the angel joyfully announced the coming birth of his son, Zechariah was plagued by doubt. His wife had been barren her whole life, and they
Growing up, I always thought I would end up living in my hometown for the rest of my life. I’m a homebody at heart, and I crave the feeling of belonging in a community and making a home where my family feels anchored and stable. I wanted to live in
“Above all, understand this: In the last days blatant scoffers will come, being propelled by their own evil urges and saying, “Where is his promised return? For ever since our ancestors died, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation.” – 2 Peter 3:3–4 I have
True Identity A few years ago, after a hard, full day with a newborn and a toddler, I was hiding out in the bathroom getting five minutes of kid-free time. Naturally, I started scrolling through Instagram and came across a post of an old classmate pictured with her kids and
Near the end of 2023, I began thinking and praying about what my word of the year for 2024 would be, or the word that I would pray would mark the upcoming year. God brought a simple word to mind: home. Home? God, what do you want me to know
On our fireplace there sits a stone that has been carved with these words, “Soli Deo Gloria.” These old Latin words are a constant reminder to us that everything we do, including how we live, should be “for the glory of God alone.” At the beginning of this season of
If I’ve learned anything in my forty years of life it’s that we can honestly and truly experience the joy of the Lord, even in the midst of great suffering. Joy is not reserved for the good days and the sweet seasons. Joy is a gift from the Lord, which
“This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.” – Matthew 1:1 The genealogy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is very interesting. It plays a central part in the New Testament and the Bible as a whole. Jesus has
When I was younger my sister and I were given a job: just stand in a gap in the hedge. Easy. Meanwhile, the rest of the extended family were running around the field trying to get a very large, incredibly angry bull to go into a cage to get an