Bethany McIlrath

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

Tag: faith

  • What The Millennial Generation Needs to Know About the Goal of Faith

    What The Millennial Generation Needs to Know About the Goal of Faith

    For many millennials entering adulthood, the truth that we all compete for a prize is a shock. Painted high on the concrete wall of my elementary school gym, next to a friendly cartoon character, were the words, If you had fun, you won. It was as simple as that. We received participation trophies whether we failed…

  • Remember When You First Heard about Jesus?

    Remember When You First Heard about Jesus?

    Do you remember when you first heard about Jesus? Or God? Or church? I mean the first, first time. When the words were brand new and meant nothing yet to you. Most of us don’t remember that “first” precisely. These are words and concepts that may have been whispered over you in the womb or…

  • God Leads One Step at a Time

    God Leads One Step at a Time

    The first time I heard “The Very Next Thing” on the radio in my car, I memorized most of the words. Or rather, they just stuck. I was basically a sitting duck for the message. Spinning my wheels in a rut, I’d been so afraid of unknowns I was letting obligation determine my next steps…

  • Letting Joy Last

    Letting Joy Last

    I had good news. A bunch of it, actually. It seemed the Lord decided to bless my husband and I immensely all at once, in so many ways. As I told my friend, I smiled with joy…and then I moved on. Instead of praising the Lord with my friend and laughing and simply enjoying the…

  • Connecting God’s Power to Our Anchor in Christ

    Connecting God’s Power to Our Anchor in Christ

    To me, Jesus walking on water isn’t the craziest part of the story recorded in Matthew 14. Peter’s response is. What would inspire a man to say “IF it’s you, Jesus, command me to walk on water too?” If I was skeptical that the guy defying physics was actually Jesus, I still would’ve settled for…

  • When Resumes Don’t Match Dreams

    When Resumes Don’t Match Dreams

    Call me weird, but I love helping people with their resumes. It reminds me of those fun matching worksheets we’d fill out in school. Maybe you remember them too? One column might list dates. The other would outline events. We would draw a line between those that matched. Similarly, good resumes tend to align with…

  • Frustrated with Normalcy

    Frustrated with Normalcy

    Normal. It’s something we at once don’t want to be confined to and at the same time wish to obtain. Some think it’s a mirage. Others believe it’s what we make it out to be. Jonathan Parnell believes “normal” is something we shouldn’t just accept. In his book Never Settle for Normal, readers are encouraged…

  • A Reality Check on Fear: Book Giveaway!

    A Reality Check on Fear: Book Giveaway!

    It may seem a little strange for me to review a book written for moms. The 10 pounds of fur snoozing next to me is the closest thing I have to a ward. Much as he thinks he is a baby, he’s not! My friend Bethany Douglas’s book Helicopter Mom is definitely relevant for the…

  • Finding Home in the Midst of Change

    Finding Home in the Midst of Change

    He and his groomsmen marched to the altar with General Patton’s March playing. Shortly after, we clasped hands, bowed our heads, and prayed for the first time as two newly become one in Christ. We danced to This is Home by Switchfoot with all the laughable grace of giraffes on stilts. Home is where the…

  • Don’t Miss the Dreams Already Come True

    Don’t Miss the Dreams Already Come True

    Once upon a hyper-proactive day, I wrote up a list of components of my dream job. In my mind, I sketched out exactly what the position would look like and the kind of place it would be in. A sample title sat on my imaginary desk. That was the goal. That was the dream. Onto…