Hope for Hard Times: The Grace of Forgiveness
Today’s Reading: Leviticus 25:23-34 Key Verse: “But if he does not have sufficient means to recover it, then what he sold shall remain in the hand of the buyer until the year of jubilee. In the jubilee it shall be…
Wrestling Through: Moving through Fear and Anxiety Toward Greater Freedom and Faith in God
by Kelly Ann Snyder I have spent years struggling with generalized anxiety. From early childhood, well into adulthood. It wasn’t until shortly after turning 30 years old, after hitting rock bottom with anxiety and fear, that I finally surrendered my…
Wrestling Through: Even Mature Believers Face Struggles in their Faith
Wrestling Through Deep Loss and Grief My name is John Cox. I’m 73 years old and just happen to be Terri’s father. Terri asked me to write a short article on a time in my life when I was struggling. …
10 Ways to Hold Tight to Hope When You Are Tempted to Lose Heart
As Christians, we live in the tension of of our present reality and future hope. It is easy to grow discouraged as we try to navigate our way through this upside-down place. We know it’s not supposed to be this…
Wrestling Through the Waiting
By Alex Fly Topics: Infertility, patient endurance, abiding in Christ, reading Scripture. I’m really familiar with waiting. Like up-close-and-personal kind of familiar. Like you’ve-seen-all-the-worst-parts-of-me kind of familiar. Waiting and I—we’re not exactly friends, but I don’t think we’re enemies either.…
Rising Above the Cultural Noise: Seeking a Strengthened Faith
Do you want to grow in authentic faith? First step: Rise above the temptation to rely on someone else’s relationship with God for yours to make sense. Read, pray, seek godly counsel, and know what you believe and not what…
When Distraction Derails Our Best Intentions
(And maybe even our wardrobes…) When my children were young, there was a time when money was tight as a one-income family. I had been wanting new furniture for our growing family, so I decided to get a part-time job…
Holding the Gaze as an Act of Love
As Shakespeare once penned, the eyes are the window to the soul. Earlier still, the Bible calls the eyes the lamp of the body in Matthew 6:22-23. Our inner man peers out through our eyes, revealing the light we claim…
Community: Softening the Rough Edges of My Grief
As I sat down at one of the round, white folding tables at the Wednesday evening ladies’ meeting, I began to question if I should have shown up at all. I had spent the day caring for my mother who,…
A Teacher, a Piece of Toilet Paper, and a Lesson in Grace
Out of all the moments we experience in our daily lives, there are certain memories that seem to be seared into our stories. I can’t remember what I ate last week, but I will never forget a moment in Mrs.…