Do you remember a time that you needed to be brave? Esther woke up one day and found herself in a lose/lose situation. The queen before her had been removed because of her disobedience of her husband. Queen Vashti had refused to come when her husband called her to display
I sat in the room as silently as possible. I dared not speak, because I could not trust my tongue to not lash out. I was sitting in the room with someone who needed my help, and I had shown up to serve with good intentions. But my generosity had
Praise the Lord that we have a Redeemer who lives and who will one day stand upon the Earth! Jesus, our Redeemer, is alive. I think about Luke 24:1-10 when Luke describes how the women went to the tomb at early dawn where they found the tomb empty. Verse two
I was recently combing through my closet and found a stack of jeans that I’ve been holding onto. Now, these particular jeans were ones I’d owned for maybe five to ten years, and I had been holding onto them assuming (and hoping) that one day, they would fit me as
Learn to do what is right. Promote justice. Give the oppressed reason to celebrate. Take up the cause of the orphan. Defend the rights of the widow. – Isaiah 1:17 When I read Isaiah 1:17 my first response is, “Yes! I want to do those things!” Then I often go
Last year I lost two dear friends within three months of each other. One passed away after a years-long battle with cancer, leaving behind his wife and four children. My other friend passed away suddenly in a tragic car accident, leaving behind his wife and two young children. Both were
“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also
“Now it was during this time that Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and he spent all night in prayer to God.” – Luke 6:12 I love Jesus, and His humanity while on earth makes me love Him all the more. He was fully God and
We sat in a room in the basement of the church that was typically used by a middle school youth group. Although I had attended several women’s studies at the church, this was the first one that my husband and I chose to do together. I couldn’t tell you the
There is an old hymn that, to me, captures the very heart of Advent and today’s passage: The hymn’s first verse says: Come, Thou long expected Jesus Born to set Thy people free; From our fears and sins release us, Let us find our rest in Thee. Israel’s strength