The last time I traveled to Europe, I suffered such culture shock, a deep yearning for home I never could have imagined, and a sense of feeling so small and lost that I promised myself I would never go back for work. (I left the door open for expensive vacations
Jonah 2 is the famous part of Jonah’s story where he gets swallowed by a great fish. It is while he is in this smelly belly that Jonah cries out to the Lord. Put yourself in his shoes for a minute. He has been thrown overboard, which in and of
This weekend, I rolled down my window at a red light and tried to speak God’s kindness to a homeless pregnant woman who was panhandling for money. I felt the crushing pain of her desperation in her bitter response. I can’t stop thinking about her. As I offered her hope
One of the heaviest burdens a woman will ever carry is guilt. Most of us who know the weight of guilt and shame. Sometimes it is because of something we have done and other times it is because of something others have done to us. How often have you done
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God…” 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 They were an audience held captive in
My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. – James 2:1 We stand tall and are quick to deny it. It could never be us. Favoritism. Prejudice. Discrimination. “Surely not me,” we whisper under our breaths as we nervously shift, fidget,
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. – Psalm 90:2 Before our planet became Earth, it did not resemble Earth at all. But Jesus was already God. Before God separated light from darkness, our planet was “formless
Working out. Just the phrase makes me feel lazy these days. I’m out of shape and I know it, so the task of working out looms and feels overwhelming. When I say this, I’m daunted thinking about lacing up my running shoes in this chilly fall air. The phrase is
It was near the end of our pre-marital counseling sessions and we were pretty sure we were ready to take on the world. I mean, we had Jesus, each other, and the cutest matching placemats and plastic napkin ring holders (sporting true 90’s fashion) that you ever did see. Heh. I’m
Sometimes I read the Bible like I’m watching a movie. I want the good guy to win, and I’m secretly hoping that Jesus will suddenly burst forth and put the bad guys in their place. This is what the people of Jesus’s day wanted – and, quite frankly, expected –