“What are you giving up for Lent?” This is a typical question for this time of year.  Some give up sweets; others give up fast food. Some give up soft drinks; others give up social media. Some give up online shopping; others give up meat. We naturally drift toward giving things up for Lent, as […]

These are difficult times for all of us. At no time in many of our memories has a single event touched every person on Earth. And let’s be honest: the gravity of this current crisis can feel overwhelming—especially when even our worship gatherings are canceled. But no matter what circumstances we’re facing, and even if […]

Are you really growing? These are the 8 ways to find out. Throughout Scripture, one word is consistently used to describe the advancing Christian life. That word is “walk.” It is a concept that appears in Scripture many times and speaks to many aspects of Christian life. Odds are you’ve read several of these yourself: […]

If a global pandemic has taught us anything, it’s been how to adjust our lives and try new ideas. Side note: it also seems that everything has gone online.  As I’ve had the chance to speak with many churches over the last several months, we’ve discussed how to run everything online, including online videos, online […]

When God Says, “Fear Not,” What Does He Really Mean? by VICTORIA YORK FOR 50 YEARS, I was one of thousands, perhaps millions, of Christians who experienced daily anxiety. It was simply a part of life. But in 2013, the Lord quite miraculously disen­tangled me from fear during a time of fasting. In the process, […]

  The Things That Bind Speaker and author Christine Caine defies the odds and topples the lies that could have buried her. by Lindsay Williams IN 1966, A BABY WAS BORN. For reasons unknown, the mother abandoned the baby, who was never given a name. Instead, the baby was awarded a number. Number 2508 the […]

Adopted and Secure If you’re God’s child, you’ll always be His. by DANNY HEDGEPETH THE THOUGHT of a courtroom makes me smile. Let me explain. My only daughter adopted our first grandchild 10 years ago. When our grandson was 6 months old, he was taken to family court to be declared legally adopted. Our daughter […]

As hot as it is across the country right now, I’m sure most of us are ready for a new season.  The cooler fall weather, to me, signals a few things: leaves changing colors, pumpkin spice lattes, football, and the return of school. If you’re like me, I rejoice a little bit knowing fall is […]

  A New Name by Esther Fleece Allen MY FIRST MEAL IN OXFORD, ENGLAND, was a spaghetti dinner with Jason and Tamy Elam, friends who had become family. This couple had taken me in during my college years and treated me like a family member. They had recently taken their six children to Oxford so […]

Unburdened Stop living for Jesus so He can live through you. by VANCE PITMAN FOR YEARS IN MY WALK with Jesus, I secretly believed Christianity to be exhausting. I so wanted to be the Christian I felt God wanted me to be, but something was missing. There were even verses in the Bible that made […]

I fall into a weird generation. Sometimes I get categorized as a millennial; others I am labeled as Gen X. Then you find out about micro-generations and I get lumped in with those. The bottom line is this: I remember a day without the internet in my house, and exactly when we finally got dial […]

Our Father by John Franklin As we mature in life, let’s continue to grow in our prayer life. IN A SCENE FROM ONE OF THE HOBBIT MOVIES, our hero Bilbo Baggins and his traveling party must journey some days through the vast, maddeningly, confusing Mirkwood forest. Having hopelessly lost their way, Bilbo hits upon the […]