Have you ever considered the fact that maybe instead of changing the world around you, God wants to transform the heart within you? Maybe that one thing you fear is designed to keep you grounded and focused on Christ. Maybe it’s there to show you the life-changing power of faith, and to strengthen the spirit within you. As we go through the fire of testing and trials, we discover that although affliction is tough, it can also be freeing, as we are loosed from the things that once bound us. When we stand firm in faith we overcome the enemy, we rise above tribulation, and we conquer our fear. Are…

It’s coming… It’s coming… It’s coming… and you’re getting a sneak peek today! Our new Bible study, “Slaying Giants” has been uploaded to Amazon and should be ready today or tomorrow! Assuming that everything goes well on their end, I should have details about the upcoming study later this week. For those who are eager to get started, you might find it on Amazon later today. If you don’t see it there yet, be patient, because it will be there soon. The topic we’ll be studying (in January) is “Courage.” I’ve had this on my heart for about two years now, during which time we’ve been slaying one giant after…

In Luke Chapter 15, we find three parables: The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, and The Lost Son. They’re similar in that they each discuss something lost and then found, but there’s something else that ties them together, which is how they each focus on one person of the Godhead: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Charles Spurgeon describes it by saying that the first parable [The Lost Sheep] illustrates the work of Christ through redemption, the second [The Lost Coin] is the work of the Holy Spirit through restoration of the soul, and finally, the last [The Lost Son] is the divine love of the Father receiving…

One of the most beautiful friendships recorded in history was that of David and Jonathan. 1 Samuel chapter 18 tells us that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. (v. 1) Jonathan had every reason to dislike David. He was heir to a throne that was given to David. He knew that David would be wearing a crown that could have been his. David was getting all of the attention he wasn’t. But rather than be jealous or fearful, demanding or proud, Jonathan stepped aside to serve David as his lord and his king. As a symbol of their covenant. Jonathan stripped himself…

My daughter was quite the couch-cuddler when she lived at home. I don’t think I could remember a day when she wasn’t snuggled up beside me or attached at the hip. We did everything together from watching TV to shopping for our favorite shoes. The day she moved out I was cut to the core. I had grown so used to having her close. So used to hearing her voice. So used to seeing her face. I can’t tell you how lonely I felt, but I do know that I did a lot of crying that winter. I had empty nest syndrome and I had it bad. In that season…

Opening my Bible to 2 Chronicles 32, I read, After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking to conquer them for himself. When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to wage war against Jerusalem, he consulted with his officials and military staff about blocking off the water from the springs outside the city, and they helped him. They gathered a large group of people who blocked all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?” they said. Then he worked hard…

Every Fall I feel the same way. I hate to say it, but I get a little blue when I see the grass fading and the leaves fall. Oh, I know they’re pretty and all a part of God’s plan, and yet I long for the return of lilacs and the warmth of sunlight on my face. I know it’s not a popular idea. Most of my friends love Autumn, they love the snow, and would probably choose pumpkin spice lattes over scented lilacs any day of the week. But that’s not me, and I wish that it was. With that, I got thinking today that maybe there’s something I…