Never Give Up Hope
When my friend received a diagnosis of cancer, the doctor advised her to get her affairs in order. She called me, sobbing, worried about her husband and young children. I shared an urgent prayer request with our mutual friends. We rejoiced when a second doctor encouraged her to never give up hope and confirmed his team would do all they could to help. Though some days were harder than others, she focused on God instead of the odds stacked against her. She never gave up.
My friend’s persevering faith reminds me of the desperate woman in Luke 8. Weary from twelve…
Do the Next Thing
When was the last time you felt compelled to help someone, only to let the moment pass without a response? In The 10 Second Rule, Clare De Graaf suggests that daily impressions can be one of the ways God calls us to a deeper spiritual walk, a life of obedience prompted by love for Him. The 10 Second Rule encourages you to simply “do the next thing you’re reasonably certain Jesus wants you to do,” and to do it right away “before you change your mind.”
Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15). We might think, I do…
Illusion of a Future
No Longer Afraid
When the Ethiopian police found her, a week after her abduction, three black-maned lions surrounded her, guarding her as though she was their own. Seven men had kidnapped the twelve-year-old girl, carried her into the woods and beaten her. Miraculously, however, a small pride of lions heard the girl’s cries, came running and chased off the attackers. “[The lions] stood guard until we found her and then they just left her like a gift and went back into the forest,” police Sgt. Wondimu told one reporter.
There are days when violence and evil, like that inflicted on this young girl, overpower…
New Humanity
While I was visiting London’s Tate Modern gallery, one piece of art particularly caught my attention. Created by Brazilian artist Cildo Meireles, it was a giant tower, several meters high, made of hundreds of old radios. Each radio was turned on and tuned to a different station, creating a cacophony of confusing, indecipherable speech. Meireles called the sculpture Babel.
The title is apt. At the original tower of Babel, God thwarted humanity’s attempt to seize heaven by confusing mankind’s languages (Genesis 11:1–9). No longer able to communicate en masse, humanity fractured into tribes of various dialects (vv. 10–26). Divided by language,…
The Safest Place
As Hurricane Florence was bearing down on Wilmington, North Carolina, with devastating force, my daughter prepared to leave her home. She had waited until the last moment, hoping the storm would veer away. But now she was hurriedly sorting through important papers, pictures, and belongings, trying to decide what to take with her. “I didn’t expect it would be so hard to leave,” she told me later, “but in that moment I didn’t know if anything would be there when I got back.”
Life’s “storms” come in many forms: hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, unexpected problems in marriage or with children, the…
NEW: Why did Jesus die?
At Easter we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection! But why did He die in the first place? “Jesus died to save us” is often the standard answer to this question—but what does that really mean? Jesus’ death and resurrection are not something we necessarily find easy to explain! This booklet explores what Jesus’ death achieved in straightforward terms, helping you get to…
What is communion all about?
Do you ever feel a bit mentally and emotionally disconnected during communion at your church? Many of us struggle with that sense of detachment during communion; we know something important is happening, but we’re not quite sure what it is. This booklet will help you take a good look at this tradition as you examine where it comes from, what…
What is communion all about?
Read the full booklet here. Watch this space for when the print version becomes available
Do you ever feel a bit mentally and emotionally disconnected during communion at your church? Many of us struggle with that sense of detachment during communion; we know something important is happening, but we’re not quite sure what it is. This booklet will help you take…
What difference does Jesus' return make to today?
The New Testament teaches that Jesus’ return should have an impact on our life, attitude and perspective today. So the question is: what difference should it actually make? Rather than discussing ‘end times’ theories, dates and events, this booklet is about the concrete fact that Jesus is “coming soon” (Revelation 22:12). This time He will not come as a helpless…
NEW: Why did Jesus die?
At Easter we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection! But why did He die in the first place? “Jesus died to save us” is often the standard answer to this question—but what does that really mean? Jesus’ death and resurrection are not something we necessarily find easy to explain! This booklet explores what Jesus’ death achieved in straightforward terms, helping you get to…
Shepherds and Wise Men, Egypt and Nazareth
When I was a sophomore in college, my friend Jeb and I were driving back to school from a semester…
Bits of Christmas Candy
One Christmas many years ago, my sister Kerry and I attempted a gingerbread house. Neither of us had ever made…
Three Boxes for Christmas
I know of parents who, in an attempt to stave off greed and materialism in the hearts of their children,…
