Tag: bible
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Making Molehills Out of Mountains
We build our molehills into mountains. We heap on worry and doubt. Carefully balancing the worst case scenarios we conjure up, we suspend them on high ominously. Our manmade foothills are comprised of carefully devised backup plans. But God. God takes our man-made mountains and returns them to their molehill size. He dissolves our backup…
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Don’t Spoil the Surprise!
A few weeks ago, two boxes arrived in the mail with my husband’s name stamped on top. He hasn’t opened them. They are in the closet. If they could speak, they’d be whispering temptation to me. I’m going a little crazy wondering what’s up with them. Our hearts don’t tend to need much help with…
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3 Biblical Responses to Others’ Struggles
Jesus’ words are clear: “in this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). Often, harder than facing our own troubles is watching those we love struggle. We don’t always know how to help. 1. “Weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15 NLT) When Lazarus died and his sisters mourned, Jesus wept. Standing with His friends,…
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View from a Mountaintop
What is it about mountains? Moses met with God there. The Samaritans and Jews argued over which one people should worship on. People have called them holy. Jesus went up them to pray. We marvel at photos of them, take vacations to climb them, and even use them in reference to the best points of…
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3 Ways to Get Truth from the Head to the Heart
You might have heard the famous quote: “The longest journey you will ever take is the 18 inches from your head to your heart.” 18 inches doesn’t seem that far. We can cover that distance in one swift step with our feet. Many of our pets are about that length, and we can run our…
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What Can Separate Us?
Words like those in Romans 8:35-39 tend to come to mind and comfort us in deep hardship, like when facing death, demons, uncertain futures, and the depths suffering. But it isn’t just the “negatives” of life we feel keep us from God. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?….. For I am convinced that neither…
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Battery Operated Faith
My husband is a fan of gadgets and tools. No surprise, since he makes a living fixing stuff. One might think the man loves all the fancy new technology. However, there are some aspects of “old” tech he values. For example, he doesn’t believe it’s wise to go totally cordless. Because of his preference for…
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Your No Is As Important as Your Yes
“All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” Matthew 5:37 Are you afraid of saying no? Scripture doesn’t condemn the word no. Rather, the Bible highlights the importance of keeping your word, whether it’s a yes or a no. Imagine if Jesus was as uncomfortable…
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It’s (Not) Going to Get Better
I’m not a pessimist. In fact, I tend far too much toward optimism. However, I’ve learned that belligerent optimism isn’t helpful when equally stubborn hardship prevails. The reality is that we should expect suffering as a result of sin. Believers should expect the added difficulties of persecution and living apart from the pattern of the…
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Millennial Identity at the Intersection of Faith
Born smack dab into the middle of the millennial generation, I caught the coattails of motivational campaigns to defy stereotypes just in time to ride the tide of embracing uniqueness. Today, myself and my peers boast about what used to be stereotypes in our social media bios. We outline the categories we fit into to…