Articles

Together, We Rise I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. -Philippians 1:3-5 Another day sinks into eternity without resolution, yanking the scab from the wounds of battle. In the […]

“But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger….”                                           -James 1:19 A Bible scholar recently posted some interesting news relating to current events on social media. The comment section was instantly bombarded […]

Because in much wisdom there is much grief; and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain. -Ecclesiastes 1:18 A heavy dawn groans into a new day, dragging an underbelly full of yesterday’s burdens. Like the clouds, I awaken gray. Whiny child inhabiting an elder’s body, my first lucid thought of the day is not one of […]

  Find the Savior in your storm Peter responded and said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”  And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and came toward Jesus.  But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and when he began to sink, […]

Can you tell the difference between Good and evil? are you sure?   “But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to distinguish between good and evil.” -Hebrews 5:14 We walked through the tall, dry grass with a forester friend as we checked out the progress of the […]

  When God Invades Our Despair   Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week…. -Matthew 28:1 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus […]

  What is left when a pandemic takes down our world?        In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly […]

Is the Last Trumpet About to Sound?   “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” […]

  There’s a reason for the daily battles   “The Philistine also said to David, ‘Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field.’ Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to […]

  It’s Okay to Cry   Oh that my head were waters And my eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night For the slain of the daughter of my people! -Jeremiah 9:1 (NASB)   He is known as the weeping prophet. Jeremiah was born in Anathoth, the son of a Hebrew […]

When Integrity Made a Nation Great “Oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?” -Francis Scott Key “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were […]

When a Father Grieves And Jesus said, “A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and […]

when the world seems out of control         “This I recall to my mind,         Therefore I have hope.         The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,         For His compassions never fail.         They are new every morning;         Great is Your faithfulness.         ‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I have […]

Have You been living on the faith of others?   “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?”                              […]

Where is God?   “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?  If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.                                    […]

What Will You Do When the Earth Shakes?   “Let them praise His name with dancing; Let them sing praises to Him with timbrel and lyre. For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.” -Psalm 149:3-4 (NASB)   It had been a quiet afternoon on the last […]

What Are We Learning from the Pandemic?   “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” -Hebrews 12:11 (NASB)   The children are squabbling. They haven’t done a single thing you asked them to […]

How Would You Spend Today If you Knew Jesus was Coming?   “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, […]

  “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” -Revelation 22:20 Nothing is by chance in God’s redemptive plan. It was not an accident that Jesus is described in Scripture as the Bridegroom and the Church as His Bride. These are not just poetic pictures. In His Word, God has told us […]

“And he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him, and kissed him.” -Luke 15:20 Hello. My name is Pam Thorson. I am a parent. A parenting book entitled, “Parenting Is Hard and […]

God said: “‘I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands.’ And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all night.” -1 Samuel 15:11 For years, I slept like a log. The demands of a growing household often left […]

  So the LORD said, ‘I have pardoned them according to your word; but indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD.’ – Numbers 14:20-21   It’s been a tough day in God’s world. The images from television and Internet have been especially sobering. Across the planet, […]

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.’ – Luke 2:13-14 In Nazareth, one man really appreciated census time. The innkeeper stepped into the street to get more provisions […]

But Jesus said, ‘Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ -Matthew 19:14 Christmas is for children, just like salvation. We started celebrating Christmas early the year our daughter flew out with her family for the holidays. Long before Thanksgiving, […]

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. – Colossians 3:15 In a holiday season careening out of control, I long for the Deliverer whose arrival we celebrate. It happens every year. I begin the holidays with a fresh thrill of expectation […]

  Every day, the church is becoming more like the world it allegedly seeks to change. – George Barna How we live influences others as they make decisions that will walk them into eternity. When Graham Cyster was smuggled into a Communist cell of young people fighting apartheid in South Africa, he was eager to […]

  So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. – Romans 9:16 The futile race to the top He sits on a riding lawnmower as he trims the lush green lawn around his house. In this old commercial for a finance […]

  Now the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon, and placed it beside Dagon.  – 1 Samuel 5:1-2 Do we live as if God is a token deity in the pantheon of […]

  I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you. – Hebrews 13:5 Failure is a human condition. One month ago she climbed a silo at an abandoned concrete plant and jumped to her death. Before that day, twelve-year-old Rebecca Sedwick endured nearly a year of bullying by as many as fifteen girls […]

  Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. – James 3:4-5 Life and […]

In the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” – 2 Peter 3:3, 4 There is blood in the streets, in the […]

Do not judge so that you will not be judged. – Matthew 7:1 Do you not know we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? – 1 Corinthians 6:3 It’s been a long day. I finally flop down on the sofa, turn on my favorite sappy TV show, and tell my family […]

When there is no light by which to read the music, those who know their God by heart play on. –Joni Eareckson Tada She sat on a stage at a large conference in the Philippines, excited to be in that exotic country. As quadriplegic artist and disability advocate Joni Eareckson Tada enjoyed the musical performance […]

Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it.” – Isaiah 30:21 The jet-black night was alive with intense pinpoints of light that mocked the beam from my husband’s flashlight. It was dark, and we had taken the challenge from our daughter, son, and daughter-in-law to get our feet […]

Blessed are those who hunger…. –Matthew 5:6 His eyes are icy blue pools in a sea of brown mink. His long teeth protrude slightly from under his upper lip, reminiscent of some distant saber-toothed relative. He purrs softly as he rubs his nose against my hand in a blatant bid to be petted. I run […]

                                                   Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you;                                […]

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! -Philippians 4:4 We were at the local DIY’er supply store to pick up some insulation for my husband’s shop. We had just attended the funeral of a family friend, and I was preoccupied, still mulling over the sights and sounds of the memorial service. Although we […]

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. – Jeremiah 29:13 Something is going on inside me. It’s not sadness. It’s not depression. It’s…longing. Lately, something has been awakening in me – a yearning so intense it hurts. It sends me into God’s Word and drives my […]

God see not as man sees, For man looks at the outward appearance, But the LORD looks at the heart. -1 Samuel 16:7 It had been a terrible week. Everything that could go wrong, had. I was teetering on the edge of the precipice separating grace and a bug-eyed fit. Walking in grace had recently […]

And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; If one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. – 1 Corinthians 12:26 He stood at the front of the church, his hands stretched toward God as he prayed. Someone walked by and told him, “You look stupid in those shorts.” That […]

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. -2 Corinthians 5:21 scapegoat [ˈskeɪpˌgəʊt] n a person made to bear the blame for others*   In recent months, Washington, D.C. has been shaken by a series of scandals. One particularly nasty […]

The Lord is with me like a dread champion. -Jeremiah 20:11   The two men squared off and eyed each other as the opening bell rang. One man was already viewed as the underdog, having lost the first match to the same fighter seven months earlier. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! […]

I’ve been wanting to do a weekly article highlighting one new or recent song that I’ve been listening to way too much because it’s just so good. This series will also double as a song review/recommendation. You can check out this series every week to discover new songs to add to your next playlist. So […]

So with March just behind us that puts three months of music already in the bag. We’ve seen some great releases so far this year like Red, Audio Adrenaline, and Plumb all of which didn’t disappoint. So with part of the year’s best releases already past us I thought it a great time to write […]

There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus. -Blaise Pascal   This beloved and time-worn expression “God-shaped vacuum” gives the impression a human is like a five-jillion-piece jigsaw you spread out on the […]

Only you musn’t press him. He’s wild, you know. Not like a tame lion. -Chronicles of Narnia C.S.Lewis   I want so much to have God figured out. But decades of this pursuit have left me convinced He is unfathomable. The more I know Him, the less I comprehend Him. He refuses to be caged […]

alien n.  a being from another world, sometimes specifically an extraterrestrial 1. …the detection of alien intelligence will be an enormously big story. We’ll know we’re not alone, and we’re not the smartest things in the universe. -SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute 2.      We spend billions of dollars and endless man hours in […]

I may not know what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future. I may listen to a thousand tongues, but I only hear one whisper. The Future First Call When Elijah fled from the evil queen Jezebel, he was one tired prophet. Exhausted in body and soul, he figured he was a […]

I may not know what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future. I may listen to a thousand tongues, but I only hear one whisper. “The Future” First CallWhen Elijah fled from the evil queen Jezebel, he was one tired prophet. Exhausted in body and soul, he figured he was a dead […]

I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how a man could look up into the heavens and say there is no God. -Abraham LincolnIt was just an article about a bird. But it caught my eye because […]