I recently finished a 40-day devotional by Jen Pollock Michel titled A Habit Called Faith. Each devotional reading is paired with Scripture, taking the reader through most of Deuteronomy and the entire Gospel of John. The book includes discussion questions and a chapter from the above Scriptures to read each day. I typically do not … Continue reading Cultivating a Habit Called Faith: A Devotional Resource
Passion, emotion and zeal will only help us to a certain point. Their fuel is fickle and often mixed with that which can hinder, hurt and hold us back. I’ve been there, what about you? My emotions and experiences used to be the basis for how I perceived my relationship with God and my “performance” … Continue reading The Foundation for Our Passion for Jesus
I have to admit, I haven’t had a lot of words to write lately. It’s strange, being one who usually tends toward writing a lot. It’s a sort of desert, an emptiness, and it’s not the most welcome, its end unknown to me. Yet it seems, this is the season I am in. What about … Continue reading God’s Word Never Fails, Falters or Fades
Staying in the Word can be especially difficult when you feel stuck. Even if we have a tried and true daily Bible reading plan, we can feel like we're in a rut at times. Maybe we’re facing greater stress in our lives, the loss of a loved one or a heftier daily schedule. This feeling may last for a week or a day, but it can become quite frustrating. Check out these ideas for staying in the Word even when you feel stuck.
Disappointment is a common experience for us all. We will never escape feelings of disappointment in this earthly life. Disappointment can cause us to respond in both helpful and hurtful ways. For example, have you yourself--or do you know someone--who has experienced a disappointment that led them into a major shift in life or even … Continue reading Key Realizations for When We’re Disappointed with God
Psalm 91 is a beautiful psalm that is beloved by many for the promises it contains for believers in Christ. For this week’s Verse Study Series, let’s look at this cherished psalm. If you need a refresher on Psalm 91, I encourage you to read it before beginning with the article. We’ll only quote a … Continue reading A Beautiful Psalm: Psalm 91’s Promises for Believers (Verse Study Series)
On January 6, 2021, something beyond horrendous occurred at the Capitol in the United States. What happened was unthinkable, and it left me wondering if words even exist to describe the ugliness of it. It was chaos, it was violent, and it was wrong. Christ’s name and a truly biblical understanding of Christianity was maligned … Continue reading Believers in Crisis
Staying consistent in one’s devotional life can be a challenge for anyone. At times, we all struggle to remain focused and steadfast in a daily time of prayer and Bible study. Here are five quick tips to help you overcome distractions in prayer and Bible study. 1. Set a consistent and specific time and place. … Continue reading Five Tips to Overcome Distractions in Prayer and Bible Study
With the challenges of a pandemic topping off any difficulties we’re already facing, we may find ourselves experiencing loneliness even more deeply this year. Some of us may be physically alone, whereas others may be surrounded by many, and yet experiencing loneliness for any number of reasons or perhaps due to circumstances outside of our … Continue reading Call Out in the Loneliness: “O Come, Immanuel”
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17 (ESV) As we embark on this week’s Verse Study Series post, let’s find out what Romans 10:17 really means based on its context in the Bible. Let’s first look at the words “faith” and the phrase “the word of Christ.” The word … Continue reading Faith Comes by Hearing… What Does Romans 10:17 Really Mean? (Verse Study Series)
I hesitate to write on this topic, at the risk of ostracizing anyone. I hope that if you happen to disagree, you won’t just write me off based on one article, tossing out everything else I have written. Nonetheless, I weighed the cost and concluded that I must share on this issue with fellow believers … Continue reading Christian in a Pandemic: Face Masks and Loving Our Neighbors
Today I want to share one of the most important tips for studying the Bible: reading and studying the Word in its proper context. We must seek God diligently and rightly. Studying His Word in context helps us to know His truth and walk out it as He meant for us to. Most of all, … Continue reading Why We Must Read the Bible in Proper Context (Bible Study Tips)
If you’ve been reading long enough, you know that I have a passion for truth. I’ve learned over the years how knowing the truth about God, His Word and His ways can affect our passion for Christ and how we walk out loving Him and others. This week I wanted to share about a prominent … Continue reading The False Word of Faith Gospel Versus the Gospel of Christ
For this week’s Verse Study Series, we’ll look at Ezekiel 37:1-6. I couldn’t isolate only one verse from the passage, so we’ll be looking at verses 1-14 to discover the full meaning of the text. Just a disclaimer though: This is only a small bit of what there is to find about this text. This … Continue reading The True Meaning of Ezekiel 37’s Valley of Dry Bones (Verse Study Series)
My husband and I recently listened to a sermon in a series on the book of Matthew. I appreciated the preacher’s verse-by-verse teaching from the book. This enabled me to take organized notes as I listened. For this week’s Bible study tip, I thought I’d talk about this kind of organized study: verse-by-verse note-taking. Verse-by-verse … Continue reading Bible Study Tips: Verse-by-Verse Note Taking
