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A dramatic encounter between Gabriel and Mary
Imagine that day, when out of the blue, a young girl in a small town in Israel is visited by none other than the angel Gabriel, and he proclaims to her: “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son . . . and He will be called Son of the Most High.” What can we learn from Mary’s response?
A balanced perspective of Mary, the mother of Jesus
When it comes to Mary, mother of Jesus, people often react to her in extremes. One group downplays her significance, and another group exalts her in a way that Scripture does not necessarily support. Let’s honor this woman of God and learn some lessons Mary has to teach us in this new series.
How To Have Peace
The Kamppi Chapel of Silence in Helsinki, Finland, stands out in its urban setting. The curved structure, covered with wood, buffers the noise from the busy city outside. Designers created the chapel as a quiet space and a “calm environment for visitors to compose themselves.” It’s a welcome escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Many people long for peace, and a few minutes of silence may soothe our minds. But the Bible teaches that real peace—peace with God—comes from His Son. The apostle Paul said, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through…
Discover an invitation from Jesus
Saying life is messy is an understatement for most of us! So is it possible for us to have peace about our life only when everything gets in order? Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled . . . trust Me.”
My Way
Two small boys were playing a complicated game with sticks and string. After a few minutes the older boy turned to his friend and said crossly, “You’re not doing it properly. This is my game, and we play it my way. You can’t play anymore!” The desire to have things our own way starts young!
Naaman was a person who was accustomed to having things his way. He was commander of the army of the king of Syria. But Naaman also had an incurable disease. One day his wife’s servant girl, who had been captured from the land of Israel, suggested…
A Letter To My Future Self
Dear Future Self, Hey! Hello there! Howdy doo! Yes, I need to remind you that you are still weird—that’s my obligation as your past. You are welcome.
Fiery Conversation
Where I come from in northern Ghana, bush fires are regular occurrences in the dry season between December and March. I’ve witnessed many acres of farmland set ablaze when the winds carried tiny embers from fireplaces or from cigarette butts carelessly thrown by the roadside. With the dry grassland vegetation, all that is needed to start a devastating fire is a little spark.
That is how James describes the tongue, calling it “a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on…
3 Ways to Reconcile Our Differences
Elton John was right in his song, “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word”. It is always hard to say “sorry” in an argument.
Honoring My Parents From Afar
For the past eight years, I’ve been living away from home. In 2007, l left Fuzhou, China, to pursue my studies; I now have a Master’s degree and a job in Shanghai. Save for the winter and summer breaks when I make short trips back home to visit my parents and younger sister, I’m not with them most of the time.
My Family’s 5 Most Annoying Habits
I come from a family of five, comprising four women and one man. We have our fair share of annoying habits: those we used to have, those we still have, and those I do not even want to imagine we might develop in future.
Don’t Lose Heart
Cooking can become tedious work when I do it three times a day, week after week. I get tired of peeling, cutting, slicing, mixing, and then waiting for food to bake, grill, or boil. But eating is never tedious! It’s actually something we truly enjoy even though we do it day after day.
Paul used the illustration of sowing and reaping because he knew that doing good can be tiring (Gal. 6:7-10). He wrote, “Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (v.9). It’s difficult to love…
When Your Sin Comes to Light
Mixed feelings. Apprehension. Guilt. Shame. Regret. If any of those popped to mind, know that you’re not alone. Like it or not, each one of us have our fair share of bright and dark patches. For the latter, we probably wish we could erase or hide those parts away permanently. The good news for most of us is that we’d probably never have to worry about others knowing about those parts as long as we hide them well enough, or the law doesn’t ever find us out.
Deceptive Currents
In his book The Hidden Brain, science writer Shankar Vedantam describes the day he went for a leisurely swim. The water was calm and clear, and he felt strong and proud for covering a long distance so easily. He decided to swim out of the bay and into open water. But when he tried to return he couldn’t make any progress. He had been deceived by the current. The ease of swimming had not been due to his strength but to the movement of the water.
In our relationship with God something similar can happen. “Going with the flow” can…
One Step Closer
Some years ago a friend and I set out to climb Mount Whitney. At 14,505 feet, it is the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States. We arrived at Whitney Portal late one evening, rolled out our sleeping bags at base camp, and tried to get some sleep before we began our ascent at first light. Whitney is not a technical climb but rather a long, exhausting walk—11 miles of relentless ascent.
