Uprooting the Weeds of False Beliefs
“Sin affects every area of our lives, including how we think and what we think. However, we’re not without hope, and we’re not without help as we address deeply rooted thoughts and beliefs. Second Peter 1:3 tells us God’s “divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness,” and in John 14-16, Jesus teaches that the Holy Spirit works to help us, teach us, convict us, and guide us into all truth.” - Uprooting the Weeds of False Beliefs by Ashley Chestnut
3 Reasons to Pray (Especially When You’re Exhausted)
“‘Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest’ (Matt. 11:28). What a beautiful invitation! What a compassionate call crossing the centuries to intersect our busy, 21st century lives. Jesus doesn’t berate us into praying more. Rather, he invites us to experience the thing our souls truly crave more than sleep, more than another cup of coffee, more than a shopping spree. Our souls were made to find rest in Jesus, and he alone offers true rest in his presence.” - 3 Reasons to Pray (Especially When You’re Exhausted) by Asheritah Ciuciu
Our Good Father's Discipline
“As an adult, I find I continue to resist discipline, particularly God’s discipline. When trials, disappointments, and challenges come my way, I see them as things to avoid or resist. I look for ways to get around them. I find myself saying that all-too-popular childhood complaint, “It's not fair.” Other times, I look at hardships as punishment for something I've done wrong. Or perhaps, I think, I wasn't good enough and God is disappointed in me. Rarely though do I pause to consider, “What might God be doing in my life? What might he want me to learn? How might he use this hardship to make me more like Christ?”” - Our Good Father’s Discipline by Christina Fox
Gospel Hope in Infertility, Loss, and Unmet Expectations
“In the early years of my infertility journey, I fought my grief tooth and nail. But over the years I’ve realized the beauty of the pathway of lament. I’ve found that while lament leads us to hope, we must go through grief first. True Christian lament doesn’t ignore the pain and the brokenness of this world. Rather, it acknowledges it, enters into it, and through it draws nearer to the compassionate heart of Christ.” - Gospel Hope in Infertility, Loss, and Unmet Expectations by Lauren Bowerman
How to Pray for Older Saints
“God loves the generations—they’re part of his good design! As you intercede for the older saints in your life, don’t forget to praise God for them and thank him for the ways they have encouraged you and sharpened you in your faith. “For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations” (Psalm 100:5). Amen!” - How to Pray for Older Saints by Chelsea Stanley
Quiet Time for Sinners
“In the sacred moments of Bible reading and prayer, we allow the Holy Spirit to deepen our connection with Christ. Scripture becomes a way for us to listen to God’s heart and prayer becomes an intimate conversation where we pour our heart out to him. On this holy ground, Jesus becomes nearer, dearer, and sweeter to us than he was the day before, and every day we will reflect Christ a little more clearly to the surrounding world.” - Quiet Time for Sinners by Naomi Vacaro
What Makes a Woman Great?
“What makes a woman great? Is greatness about reaching some expected status like “engaged” or “married”? Does it mean climbing the corporate ladder, gaining influence, and outdoing those around you? Maybe greatness is about finding your “thing” and becoming an expert at it. Or perhaps it’s about becoming true to ourselves by listening to the voice within. Maybe greatness is learning how to unhitch ourselves from everyone’s expectations in order to find true happiness. Or is it?” - What Makes a Woman Great? by Kristen Wetherell
Sensing God in Scripture
“A passage like “The heavens declare the glory of the Lord” (Ps. 19:1) becomes a passport to praise as we give God the credit for every marvelous star in the night sky. “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8) takes on new gusto as we enjoy the good gifts he lavishes on us. Even the quietude of “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10) becomes to us a solid shelter when storms are raging. A well-developed biblical imagination cannot even see a seed planted in the ground without reflecting on the nature of the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 13:31–32). Spiritual parallels are everywhere, particularly for a mind steeped in Scripture.” - Sensing God in Scripture by Scott James
Straight Outta Context
“As we read larger portions of Scripture more of the Bible’s context becomes available to us. However, we must be careful that we do not spend so much time investigating unnecessary or extra-biblical context that we miss the main point of a passage. We can fall victim to chasing cross references and studying Bible maps and charts and learning about leprous diseases until we lose the main point of a passage. Or even worse, we can lose real communion with the Lord by allowing all the fact-finding to derail our study. We must remember that studying the Bible is primarily a spiritual exercise that uses the intellect. It is not primarily an intellectual exercise cloaked in spirituality.” - Straight Outta Context by Kristie Anyabwile
Teaching Our Children to Read God's Word
“The story of the Bible has a familiar “scent” to it. But to smell the centrality of God in all of Scripture takes time and attentiveness. It’s a learned perspective, one that we can pass on from generation to generation as we teach our children to study God’s Word. The more our children saturate in the Bible, the more the story of redemption will seep into their pores.” - Teaching Our Children to Read God's Word by Chris Ammen
The Gospel-Heart of Hospitality
“We live in a world that values performative hospitality. Magazine spreads show beautifully-laid tables with place cards and breathtaking floral arrangements. We see influencers with living rooms full of luxurious pillows, vacuumed floors, and art hung by interior designers, making us immediately insecure about our toy-scattered floors and smeared windows. We know the Bible calls us to “offer hospitality without grumbling,” (1 Peter 4:9), but we look around our own house and it’s a far cry from a magazine spread. How do we follow the encouragement to offer hospitality when our reality looks so messy?“ - The Gospel-Heart of Hospitality by Elizabeth Santelmann
When Intrusive Thoughts Keep Intruding
“Because we all live with a nature warped by sin, we all fight intrusive thoughts. From aggressive insecurities, to catastrophic fears, to disturbing mental images, intrusive thoughts can take many forms. Sometimes we can banish unwanted thoughts as easily as swatting flies. But there are other times, perhaps more frequent, when the door to our mind keeps violently banging open. As followers of Jesus endowed with the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16), what can we do when intrusive thoughts keep intruding?” - When Intrusive Thoughts Keep Intruding by Erin Davis
I Want to be a Christian, but There’s One Thing
“I wanted to be a Christian, but I wasn’t going to let my girlfriend go. That was my one non-negotiable. Surely, there was a way around that. Surely, God really didn’t care about who I was attracted to, who I married, who I loved. Right?” - I Want to be a Christian, but There’s One Thing by K. Price
Help! I'm Trapped in My Insecurities!
“If we can see each other we can say hello, we can make a new friend, we can have a funny conversation about Colossians or Kingsolver or Costco. We can let the stifling air squelch out like an untied balloon, flying out of our fingertips until it flops to the ground, deflated and powerless, no longer trying to lead the way. De-weaponized awkward balloons make way for something else to lead the way: like truth.” - Help! I'm Trapped in My Insecurities! by Holly Mackle
Three Pitfalls When Life is Hard
“It’s easy to equate our ease and comfort as God’s love for us, and our pain and suffering as his punishment or indifference. But his love is not dictated by the circumstances around us, it’s dictated by the truth that he loved us when we hated him, died for us while we mocked him, and pursued us while we were determined to go our own way. When we face painful circumstances, even the ones that seem senseless, we need to constantly remind ourselves of God’s steadfast love toward us. When we can’t understand his ways, we can trust his character.” - Three Pitfalls When Life is Hard, by Sarah Walton
Honoring Your Mother-In-Law
“Showing honor to the woman who raised our husband, who nourished him with daily meals, drove him to countless practices and cares so deeply about him, is actually a way to love our husband. If our husband constantly hears us complaining about something his mom did, tension can build in both the marriage and the relationship with his parents. How can we seek to show honor to our mother-in-law, even in the midst of a difficult relationship?” - Honoring the Other Mother In Your Life, by Stacy Reaoch
The Feast of Obedience
“As believers in Christ, we don’t need to chase after the things the world chases, even basic provision (Matt. 6:33). We don’t have to buy into the lie of scarcity when we have an abundant Father. We don’t have to determine our day by the amount of energy in our tanks, for we know that if God is calling us to something, he will give us all we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).” - The Feast of Obedience, by Aimee Joseph
Charles and Susie: Faith in the Midst of Pain
“Charles and Susie’s spirituality served as the foundation that kept them buttressed amidst their many sufferings. They prayed. They read their Bibles. They worshiped God. They sang. They labored in the Lord’s service. They loved one another well. They died with hope. Charles and Susie faced death’s cold stare by praising God. Such is the way they approached every trial along the way.” - Charles and Susie: Faith in the Midst of Pain, by Ray Rhodes
Jesus and Our Words: How Knowing Jesus Transforms Our Speech
“When Christ ascended to heaven, his work on earth continued. Since the day the Spirit was given on Pentecost, Jesus has actively built his Church with the witness—the words—of his followers. As they have proclaimed the gospel and explained the Scriptures, the Church has grown. Even now, Jesus is building his Church as his people speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15-16). But you may wonder, “How is it possible that my words could be useful for the building of the Church? How can my conversations contribute to the body of Christ?”” - Jesus and Our Words: How Knowing Jesus Transforms Our Speech by Cheryl Marshall and Caroline Newheiser
Giving or Grabbing the Glory: Fighting Self-Righteousness by Remembering What God Has Done
“Remember what the Lord has done! As an unbeliever I was as selfish as they come, looking only to my needs and desires. I would calculate how to exert minimal effort for maximum gain in nearly every circumstance. Then Jesus changed it all. So the minute-by-minute giving of my time and energy in motherhood, imperfect as it is, is truly and utterly miraculous. I can delight in laying aside “self-care” for the constant care of my six children knowing that Jesus did that! To God be all the glory.” - Giving or Grabbing the Glory, by Janaye Atkinson