Bethany McIlrath

First and Second: Perspective On What Matters Most (Matthew 22:36-40)

Category: Bethany’s Guest Posts

  • Clothing Ourselves as Christians

    Clothing Ourselves as Christians

    Blue, purple, and grey (and a little brown.) Some people’s wardrobes are reminiscent of summer shades or a fall feel. Mine most resembles a bruise. But there are a few good reasons for that…one in particular… I’m not great at color coordination and those colors tend to pair off easily. Also, I don’t spend a…

  • Being Heavenly Minded for Earthly Good

    Being Heavenly Minded for Earthly Good

    Our car rolled to a stop on the side of the highway. The difference between 55 mph and 0 mph was startling. Inside and out, our car looked to be in perfect working order––but now it couldn’t move. I watched my Mr. Fix-It lift the hood and investigate. His answer was sure: All the right…

  • 7 Ways to Turn Your Bible Reading Into a Conversation with God

    7 Ways to Turn Your Bible Reading Into a Conversation with God

    Silly as it may seem, I didn’t see a connection between reading the Bible and praying for a long time. Then one day in my regular Bible reading, I was desperate to understand what a challenging passage was saying. Desperation has a way of making our prayers more honest, doesn’t it? I smacked my forehead…

  • Leave God-Room

    Leave God-Room

    “Leave room for Jesus.” That’s what we’d tease dating friends who always seemed to want to be close to each other. It was a light-hearted way to remind them that God’s way is better than our way. The principle applies to much more than just purity in relationships though. Franklin Graham, in his autobiography Rebel…

  • Questions about Loving Well

    Questions about Loving Well

    Paul’s greeting to the church at Philippi warmly displays his godly affection for the fellow believers he was so invested in. Each expression of love in the greeting teaches us something about what it means to build one another up in Christ. Let’s not gloss over this passage as a nicety. Will you take it…

  • The Light of Summer

    The Light of Summer

    This past winter, we let our car pretend it was a sled as we moved from the east coast to the Midwest. Now, we live on the western edge of the Eastern Time zone. That didn’t mean all that much to me until summer sauntered in. The sun shines here until nearly 10 o’clock at…

  • Jesus Text

    Jesus Text

    “buuuzzzz, buzzz.” “Who’s that?” I ask. It’s not my business. I don’t especially care. I’m just being nosy (usually because I’m bored.) My husband’s reply is often, “It’s Jesus.” I roll my eyes. He smirks. It’s our bit. But sometimes when we play that little game, I think about how nice it would be to…

  • Happy (In)Dependence Day!

    Happy (In)Dependence Day!

    On this independence day, I’m happy to be reflecting over at Soaring with Him for Recharge Wednesday. Join me there? Click here.  This post may also be shared on: #MomentsofHope, #DreamTogetherLinkup, #TestimonyTuesday, #RaRaLinkup,  #TeaAndWord, #TellHisStory, #RechargeWednesday, #Thought-Provoking Thursday, #Heart Encouragement, #LiveFreeThursday, #DanceWithJesus, #LLMLinkup, Faith-Filled Friday, Sitting Among Friends, Fresh Market Friday, and #SoulSurvivalLinkup.

  • Seeing People as People

    Seeing People as People

    They didn’t see a man. They didn’t see his pain. They didn’t notice his need. They didn’t care that he was in the house of the Lord. What they cared about was entrapping their perceived enemy, the one who threatened long-held traditions and the law that elevated them to a pious, powerful place. They wanted…

  • Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys

    Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys

    I was taking a month-long class in Ecuador. We traveled around the beautiful country- even into the Amazon rainforest. There, a few monkeys determined to do what non-cartoon monkeys in tourist traps do: harass people. The agile creatures stole anything loose they could grab. We tried to ask how to get our stuff back. A…