That Saturday was one of those days where I questioned everything. It was an introvert day I needed, but the scary kind where I didn’t want to be alone and also didn’t want to be with anyone....

10 May, 2018

There’s a stunning bouquet of spring flowers on my dining room table. It pops with bloom and color, a perfect personification of the vibrant life this season ushers in. But in this moment, even though they’re elegant and sweet and lovely to look at, I...

22 March, 2018

My friend said, “You know everyone.” I had heard that before while I was out with other friends, and it does feel that way sometimes. I have worked in the same community as a school counselor for over 25 years and been a member of...

21 March, 2018

I take my daily drive into work very seriously. I have a playlist of worship music that I listen to every morning and I make a big deal of queuing the most appropriate songs based on how my heart is feeling. The next 30 minutes...

24 November, 2017

God, in His great love and compassion for us, reminds us to set apart time to rest in His Sovereignty and remember that we are just creatures dependent on Him. While work is important and crucial to our lives in this world, our trust in...

14 November, 2017

The sin of idolatry. Sin. Such a hard line. But what is idolatry anyway? The worship of golden calves and statues, right? My life is totally free of animal worship, and gold worship, and lust for shiny things, and status, and self-honor, — wait....

09 November, 2017

I led a group of high school girls for four years, and there was a time that I was sure one of them would be married before I was. I felt stuck in my singleness, and it was just a matter of time before one...

26 October, 2017

When you first enter college it feels like a never-ending season—as if those four years will last forever. Graduation seems a lifetime away as your attention narrows in on classes, organizations, and new relationships. Then one day you find yourself walking across a stage to...

20 October, 2017

After Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas area earlier this fall, one of the eeriest things I heard about was the floating ant mounds that were being spotted in the floodwaters....

22 September, 2017

I tend to have some (or a lot of) freak-out moments. Google is not my friend, and I often wish WebMD wasn’t even a thing. If you’ve ever experienced a panic attack then you know when that feeling comes over you, the only thing you...

20 September, 2017

Through the obedience of Moses and Aaron, we are reminded that obeying God does not guarantee that things will get easier for us. We trust in a God who is sovereign and bigger than short-term suffering; His plans exceed our momentary affliction. ...

12 September, 2017

I somehow made it into my thirties without a major tragedy in my life. My adolescence was peppered with significant trials, suffering, pain, and the like, but I had no battling experience with a mighty all-consuming tragedy. Then last summer the sky opened up and...

31 August, 2017

Driving to lunch yesterday I saw a frightening thing. Another car had made a very wrong turn and was traveling the wrong way down an exit ramp of a major interstate, about to enter the wrong side of oncoming traffic! My first reaction was to...

30 August, 2017

One could easily be overwhelmed and confused by the many different translations available these days. The Scriptures were originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, which makes translation necessary—but why are there so many? And are they really all that different? Is one better than...

17 August, 2017

1 Corinthians 12 is written as both an encouragement and a rebuke to believers about spiritual gifts. Although we are quick to make spiritual gifts all about us, God reminds us that it is through these gifts in believers that He makes Himself known. We...

01 August, 2017

When I think of what it means to be an Ezer, I see a face. None of the core capacities of our calling as women resonates with me more than that of inviting because of how simply but profoundly that face impacted my life....

26 July, 2017

In Kindergarten, I walked to the store with my next door neighbor and stole some candy. Actually, he stole it, but that’s not the point—I watched him and gladly agreed. Not long after, I understood the gospel in a very basic way and something began...

20 July, 2017

The email from our community group leaders said they would be out of town, but everyone could still get together if someone wanted to open their home to host. I felt a knot begin to form in my stomach. My fingers were heavy as lead...

12 July, 2017

In our series on Christianity, we recently heard a sermon from Romans 8:18-39. One of the things that Paul only touches on very briefly in this passage is the question, “Where does suffering come from?”...

07 July, 2017

Words. They are a necessity in life. From the time the alarm clock sounds in the morning, until it is set again in the evening, we use words. Our words help us navigate life, express our basic needs, and articulate our heart’s deepest desires. Whether...

28 June, 2017

Studying the basics of Christianity begins with our relationship with God. All people are born completely sinful as rebellious enemies of God. The way to be right with God is not by comparison to others or good works but through faith in Jesus by the...

27 June, 2017

For about a decade of my life, between middle school and college, my best friend and I frequently wrote to each other. (She’s now my roommate, so our letter-writing has somewhat dwindled.) At my best, I could turn out a good 20 pages effortlessly. It...

22 June, 2017

The writer of Hebrews leaves his audience with a final list of important principles to remember and concludes the book with a reminder of the gospel and a benediction of grace....

21 June, 2017