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Two Portraits
Clutching two framed photographs, the proud grandmother showed them to friends in the church foyer. The first picture was of her daughter back in her homeland of Burundi. The second was of her grandson, born recently to that daughter. But the daughter wasn’t holding her newborn. She had died giving birth to him.
A friend approached and looked at the pictures. Reflexively, she reached up and held that dear grandmother’s face in her hands. All she could say through her own tears was, “I know. I know.”
And she did know. Two months earlier she had buried a son.
There’s something special about…
The Land of “What Is”
Even all these years after losing our seventeen-year-old daughter Melissa in a car accident in 2002, I sometimes find myself entering the world of “What If.” It’s easy, in grief, to reimagine the events of that tragic June evening and think of factors that—if rearranged—would have had Mell arriving safely home.
In reality, though, the land of “What If” is not a good place to be for any of us. It is a place of regret, second-guessing, and hopelessness. While the grief is real and the sadness endures, life is better and God is honored if we dwell in the world…
Taking the Initiative Against Drudgery
When it comes to taking the initiative against drudgery, we have to take the first step as though there were no God. There is no point in waiting for God to help us— He will not. But once we arise, immediately we find He is there. Whenever God gives us His inspiration, suddenly taking the initiative becomes a moral issue— a matter of obedience. Then we must act to be obedient and not continue to lie down doing nothing. If we will arise and shine, drudgery will be divinely transformed.
Taking the Initiative Against Despair
In the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples went to sleep when they should have stayed awake, and once they realized what they had done it produced despair. The sense of having done something irreversible tends to make us despair. We say, “Well, it’s all over and ruined now; what’s the point in trying anymore.” If we think this kind of despair is an exception, we are mistaken. It is a very ordinary human experience. Whenever we realize we have not taken advantage of a magnificent opportunity, we are apt to sink into despair. But Jesus comes and lovingly says to us, in essence, “Sleep on now.
How do we trust God in times of deep loss?
Losing someone is always hard. It can leave you feeling a bit paralyzed and like you don’t have a clue what to do. As the group discovers, the prophet Elisha knew this better than anyone. Today when the Discover the Word group gets together, they will lead the conversation on how we can trust God […]
God’s got a plan for good
No one likes being the bearer of bad news. And as the Discover the Word group discovers in their study of “The Miraculous Life of Elisha,” Elisha probably didn’t either. But as we’ll see today, God’s got a plan for good, even when it just seems like more bad news. Join us today on Discover […]
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!
“The Broken Way”
When we say something’s “broken,” we mean that it’s no longer of use. But that’s not what God says when He sees our “broken” lives. Today on Discover the Word, the group, along with special guest Ann Voskamp, continues a discussion based on Ann’s new book, “The Broken Way.” Don’t miss today’s conversation on Discover […]
Discover how brokenness can lead to abundant life
Today on Discover the Word, the team welcomes bestselling author Ann Voskamp to the table. They’ll be kicking off a new series of conversations based on Ann’s new book, called “The Broken Way.” It’s a discussion that reveals how it’s brokenness that can actually lead to the abundant life. Join the fascinating conversations the group has […]
The Courage To Grieve
I am not at all claiming to be an expert on the varied topic of grief. Although there may be familiar elements between individuals’ grief experiences, their paths are distinctly unique.
Anger is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as you don’t stay there
Have you ever felt angry with God? Well, that’s not necessarily a bad thing as long as you don’t stay angry! Today on Discover the Word, the group and guest Torrey Robinson examine the life of the Old Testament woman Naomi and why she returned to Israel so sorrowful and bitter. Naomi sounded like she […]
Dealing with the “Death Knock’”
The words “death knock” is enough to make my knees go weak and my hands go clammy. A “death knock” involves a journalist showing up on the doorstep of a family who has just lost a loved one for a story.
Broken to Be Made New
During World War II my dad served with the US Army in the South Pacific. During that time Dad rejected any idea of religion, saying, “I don’t need a crutch.” Yet the day came when his attitude toward spiritual things would change forever. Mom had gone into labor with their third child, and my brother and I went to bed with the excitement of soon seeing our new brother or sister. When I got out of bed the next morning, I excitedly asked Dad, “Is it a boy or a girl?” He replied, “It was a little girl but she…
Jesus Wept
I was engrossed in a book when a friend bent over to see what I was reading. Almost immediately, she recoiled and looked at me aghast. “What a gloomy title!” she said.
I was reading “The Glass Coffin” in Grimm’s Fairy Tales, and the word coffin disturbed her. Most of us don’t like to be reminded of our mortality. But the reality is that out of 1,000 people, 1,000 people will die.
Death always elicits a deep emotional response. It was at the funeral of one of His dear friends that Jesus displayed strong emotions. When He saw Mary, whose brother had recently died,…
Through It All
God not only created us and knows us, but He is in tune to our every thought and emotion. He is there when we are anxious, excited, nervous, delighted, and heartbroken. He is there, and He understands.
