The Day I Compared My Mum to a Crow
“My mother is like a watchful crow” began the poem I had written as a gift for my mom. I was convinced it would bring her tears of joy—amazed by the exquisite talent of her 7-year old daughter.
Always in His Care
On the day our youngest daughter was flying from Munich to Barcelona, I visited my favorite flight tracking website to follow her progress. After I entered her flight number, my computer screen showed that her flight had crossed Austria and was skirting the northern part of Italy. From there the plane would fly over the Mediterranean south of the French Riviera toward Spain and was scheduled to arrive on time. It seemed that the only thing I didn’t know was what the flight attendants were serving for lunch!
Why did I care about my daughter’s location and circumstances? Because I love…
Is God your “number one”?
Following God isn’t always easy, but one thing we can be pretty sure of is that when we’re “looking out for number one,” and that number one is me, we’re headed down a wrong path. Today on Discover the Word, the group digs into “The Miraculous Life of Elisha” to find out who “number one” always […]
3 Things I Never Knew About Prayer
Despite being Christian for almost 22 years, I never liked nor knew how to pray for the better part of those two decades. I’d always think, “Why do I need to pray when God already knows everything?”
The Talking Tree
One of the earliest Christian poems in English literature is “The Dream of the Rood.” The word rood comes from the Old English word rod or pole and refers to the cross on which Christ was crucified. In this ancient poem the crucifixion story is retold from the perspective of the cross. When the tree learns that it is to be used to kill the Son of God, it rejects the idea of being used in this way. But Christ enlists the help of the tree to provide redemption for all who will believe.
In the garden of Eden, a tree was the source…
“The Miraculous Life of Elisha”
Today on Discover the Word, the group kicks off another segment in an ongoing series on the life of the Old Testament prophet Elisha. His was definitely an amazing life, so be part of the group as they explore “The Miraculous Life of Elisha” together. Be encouraged by God’s amazing power, today on Discover the Word!
When I Don’t Have Clarity on God’s Will
We weren’t clearly “called” to Africa. That I know. Though I’d longed to work overseas from the time my hair was in pigtails, my husband hadn’t felt it would best utilize the way he was made.
Rebuilding
When Edward Klee returned to Berlin after being away for many years, the city he remembered and loved was no longer there. It had changed dramatically, and so had he. Writing in Hemispheres magazine, Klee said, “Returning to a city you once loved tends to be a hit-or-miss proposition . . . . It can be a letdown.” Going back to the places of our past may produce a feeling of sorrow and loss. We are not the same person we were then, nor is the place that was so significant in our lives exactly as it was.
Nehemiah had been in…
Timeless Savior
Jeralean Talley died in June 2015 as the world’s oldest living person—116 years of age. In 1995, the city of Jerusalem celebrated its 3,000th birthday. One hundred sixteen is old for a person, and 3,000 is old for a city, but there are trees that grow even older. A bristlecone pine in California’s White Mountains has been determined to be older than 4,800 years. That precedes the patriarch Abraham by 800 years!
Jesus, when challenged by the Jewish religious leaders about His identity, also claimed to pre-date Abraham. “Very truly I tell you,” He said, “before Abraham was born, I am”…
Always Loved, Always Valued
We serve a God who loves us more than our labors.
Oh, it’s true that God wants us to work to feed our families and to responsibly take care of the world He created. And He expects us to serve the weak, hungry, naked, thirsty, and broken people around us even as we remain alert to those who have not yet responded to the Holy Spirit’s tug on their lives.
And yet we serve a God who loves us more than our labors.
We must never forget this because there may come a time when our ability to “do for God” is…
Always Loved, Always Valued
We serve a God who loves us more than our labors.
Oh, it’s true that God wants us to work to feed our families and to responsibly take care of the world He created. And He expects us to serve the weak, hungry, naked, thirsty, and broken people around us even as we remain alert to those who have not yet responded to the Holy Spirit’s tug on their lives.
And yet we serve a God who loves us more than our labors.
We must never forget this because there may come a time when our ability to “do for God” is…
Broken and useful
How can something broken be useful? Well, today on Discover the Word, the team will conclude a series of conversations with Ann Voskamp and discuss how brokenness, authenticity, and intimacy actually go hand in hand. Finish our series of conversations with Ann Voskamp on… “The Broken Way,” today on Discover the Word!
5 Ways to Renew Your Prayer Life
Prayer is an essential part of a healthy walk with God. For many Christians, though, this is an area of struggle. We know prayer is important, but we find it difficult to establish it as a regular habit in our life.
Unseen Heroes
Stories in the Bible can make us stop and wonder. For instance, when Moses led God’s people into the Promised Land and the Amalekites attacked, how did he know to go to the top of the hill and hold up God’s staff? (Ex. 17:8–15). We aren’t told, but we learn that when Moses raised his hands, the Israelites would win the battle, and when he lowered them, the Amalekites would win. When Moses got tired, his brother Aaron and another man, Hur, held up Moses’s arms so the Israelites could triumph.
We aren’t told much about Hur, but he played a…
“The ministry of presence”
According to Ann Voskamp, “When pain is the deepest, words are the fewest.” Today on Discover the Word, the team and special guest Ann Voskamp consider how sometimes we’re called to say nothing. Listen today to hear about “the ministry of presence” on Discover the Word!
