When Samuel stood before Jesse’s sons, he thought he knew what he was looking for. After all, Israel needed a king. Someone impressive. Strong. Capable. Maybe someone tall like Saul, who had once seemed like the obvious choice. So when Jesse’s oldest son stepped forward, Samuel’s first thought was: Surely
When you get to know someone, who do you tell them you are? Usually, we define ourselves by the work that we do. We are teachers, coaches, homemakers, doctors, business leaders, etc. In this world, we quickly associate our worth with how well we do these things. Often, this can
We have five kids. (I know, I know… that’s a lot of kids and coffee in one home). But one of our parenting mantras is “In our family, we obey all the way, right away, and with a happy heart.” Now that our eldest twins are almost teenagers, we’ve been
I wonder what Esther was feeling as she watched the sunrise on that third day. “It so happened that on the third day Esther put on her royal attire and stood in the inner court of the palace…” – Esther 5:1 This was the day that Esther would either end
The Nativity of Christ is the most powerful and uniquely heavy scene of humility in all of history. Each Christmas season, our family reads the account of Jesus’ birth. We read of the tension of Joseph and Mary having no place to stay in the inn. We see Jesus coming
Daniel Through the Years Do you remember reading the story of Daniel resolving to not touch the king’s food after being taken to the palace? Or Daniel being promoted because of his divine wisdom and precise interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams? What age do you think Daniel was when these events
It can be easy to feel discouraged and hopeless that things will ever get better. These feelings are so real and held by my Father, God. However, amid these feelings, the word that I cannot get out of my head has been hope. It has been during these present hardships
Places of Refuge “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” – Mother Theresa As moms, what we do within the walls of our homes matters. How we love, treat, and invest in those God has specifically given to us has the power to not
Though we don’t like to admit it or experience it, suffering is a reality for the Christian. We should not be surprised when it comes. In the midst of facing persecution, Peter offers pastoral care to the first century believers in a truth that is hard to comprehend and
There is an old saying,”‘money can’t buy happiness,” and a famous pop song that said, “money can’t buy me love.” Often society places a great weight on having all our needs met through financial wealth and material possessions. One of the national newspapers here in the United Kingdom annually compiles