Have you ever watched a movie that has a plot twist you didn’t see coming? It always takes you by surprise. You may even be tempted to go back and rewatch the movie to find the clues that you missed. Here in Luke 5, the Pharisees are having a plot
So far in the narrative of Scripture, we have seen God as Creator in that He made man and woman in His image. However, those He created quickly turned towards sin and rejected God. Then God gave hope through His promise of a Savior who would come and rescue people
When I was in my twenties, I joined a small group at my church. The other women in it were mostly around my age. I can remember a conversation about sin and saying aloud, “Well I’m not really that bad. I’ve not murdered anyone!” One of my dear friends gently
I love the way Jesus teaches us. He uses vivid illustrations and metaphors to communicate to us truths that have the potential to transform our lives. This is what He does in John 15. Perhaps this is a passage you have read over and over, or perhaps this is your
Rule Following vs Approval Seeking If you’ve ever spent any considerable amount of time around young children, you might have observed that kids take great delight in many things, but following the rules is not often one of them. At two years old, my youngest has an ever-changing relationship with
I grew up as the accident-prone child in our family. Even though I had two older brothers, I still was the one who had the most hospital visits, broken bones, and stitches. While I do not remember every detail of these incidents, I do remember one aspect that was the
Make a Stand for God Have you ever had to stand up for what you believe in, even if it’s different than what those around you believe? In college, I began an abiding relationship with the Lord and new convictions flooded my heart. I decided to give up things of
Fall is God’s coloring book. For a short time, everything comes alive in a beautiful display. What glory! The poet Walt Whitman said it well: “Give me juicy autumnal fruit, ripe and red from the orchard.” If only we could sit on the front porch and sip pumpkin spice lattes
God’s Design I am not a mom yet, but I find myself thinking about motherhood often. I am about to get married to the love of my life, Chris. There is nothing I want more than a family to love alongside him. Therefore, I have done a lot of reflecting
As a former elementary educator, I always loved being able to teach my students about plant growth. The children would be so excited to see how with just a few things like a seed, soil, water, and sunlight, a beautiful plant would grow. It felt almost like magic to them.