One day…
Dwelling in Our Hearts
Sometimes the words of children can jolt us into a deeper understanding of God’s truth. When my daughter was young, I was telling her about one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith—that God through His Son and Spirit dwells in His children. As I tucked her into bed, I said that Jesus was with her and in her. “He’s in my tummy?” she asked. “Well, you haven’t swallowed Him,” I replied. “But He’s right there with you.”
My daughter’s literal translation of Jesus being “in her tummy” made me stop and consider how when I asked Jesus to be…
Milk Comes First
In the seventh century, what is now called the United Kingdom was many kingdoms often at war. When one king, Oswald of Northumbria, became a Christian, he called for a missionary to bring the gospel to his region. A man named Corman was sent, but things didn’t go well. Finding the English “stubborn,” “barbarous,” and uninterested in his preaching, he frustratedly returned home.
“I am of the opinion,” a monk named Aidan told Corman, “that you were more severe to your unlearned hearers than you ought to have been.” Instead of giving the Northumbrians “the milk of more easy doctrine,” Corman…
Working Together
Joe worked over twelve hours a day, often without taking breaks. Starting a charitable business demanded so much time and energy that he had little left to offer his wife and children when he got home. After the toll of chronic stress landed Joe in the hospital, a friend offered to organize a team to help him. Though he dreaded giving up control, Joe knew he couldn’t keep up his current pace. He agreed to trust his friend—and God—as he delegated responsibilities to the group of people they chose together. A year later, Joe admitted the charity and his family…
Day of Prayer - April 30, 2021
"He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him."
-Psalm 91: 15
Time and again God has reiterated in His Word that when His people turn to Him, He WILL respond. He is faithful, gracious, full of compassion, slow to anger and great in His mercy. Whenever His people…
Cuddling In
“Daddy, will you read to me?” my daughter asked. It’s not an unusual question for a child to make of a parent. But my daughter is eleven now. These days, such requests are fewer than they were when she was younger. “Yes,” I said happily, and she curled up next to me on the couch.
As I read to her (from The Fellowship of the Ring), she practically melted into me. It was one of those glorious moments as a parent, when we feel perhaps just an inkling of the perfect love our Father has for us and His deep desire…
Mum, You are not alone
Mum, You're not alone
What is the most challenging job in the world? Many have said it is being a mother, if it is ever considered a “job”. But while it’s not a job in the strict sense of the word, it is nevertheless a tough endeavour. Motherhood is a blessing, but sometimes, it can be a lonely one too.
For some,…
Forever Flowers
Read: Isaiah 40:1-8
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. —Isaiah 40:8
Living with Lions
Read: Daniel 6:19-28
“He is the living God, and he endures forever.” -Daniel 6:26
At a Chicago museum, I saw one…
“Bring the Boy to Me”
Read: Mark 9:14-27
“You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall…
Nozomi Hope
Read: 2 Corinthians 4:7-18
We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God…
Time to Grow
Read: Galatians 6:1–10
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a…
Megan’s Heart
Read: James 1:19–27
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.—James 1:22
When Megan was…
Serving without Distraction
Read: Luke 10:38–42
Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and…
Learning from Foolishness
A man walked into a convenience store in Wollongong, Australia, put a $20 bill on the counter and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer? Fifteen dollars.
We all act foolishly at times—even if, unlike this would-be thief, we’re trying to do the right thing. The key is how we learn from our…
