Quieting Pain with Prayer

by Rachel Wojo | | 4 comments

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There is a drink that many people love, and maybe you’re one of those people. Coffee! Perhaps you enjoy a frozen caramel latte or a single cup of black coffee, or maybe you need a little cream like me. Whether dark roast or blonde, medium Columbia or Vietnamese blend, coffee is your thing. You’ve probably seen t-shirts and mugs with a little saying for coffee lovers of this nature. “But first, coffee.”

What is this shirt saying? It’s saying I’m a coffee lover. You give me coffee in the morning, afternoon, or evening, and I’ll do whatever is needed. It says coffee propels me into motion. It moves me. It fills me. It fuels me for the day.

All of

Moving from Restlessness to Rest

by Katy McCown | | 3 comments

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Like clockwork, it happened every night.

For weeks, under a pitch-black canopy and hum of the fan, a guest would appear. One night I even felt fingers crawling up my arm. I jolted up out of my sleep to see my daughter, nose to nose with me, looking for a place to lay her head.

Most nights she came alone, sometimes she brought her brother with her. But every night, whoever showed up in my bedroom wanted the same thing—the coveted spot in the bed between Mom and Dad.

Now, I know many parenting books would scorn me and tell me to take the child back to bed. I’m not winning any Mom-of-the-year awards here. Nor am I encouraging you to mimic

When God’s Answer Isn’t What You Expected

by Sharon Jaynes | | 5 comments

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When I was eight years old, my prized possession was a collie dog named, what else, Lassie. Lassie was my shadow. She ran alongside me as I pedaled around the neighborhood on my pink-glittered banana bike. She slept outside the door of my one-room playhouse when my best friend, Wanda, and I “camped out.” She protected me from dangerous strangers, such as the paperboy, the mailman, and the trash collector.

When the veterinarian told us that Lassie had an incurable skin disease and needed to be put to sleep, I was devastated. And even though she was my dog, my dad was almost as heartbroken as I was. He could not bring himself to purposely end Lassie’s life, so

Inspired to Obey

by Melissa Spoelstra | | 2 comments

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I knew something was off. I couldn’t state any particular sin or wrongdoing, but I didn’t feel good about the growing exclusivity among my friends. I remember a day at the local pool when one of them threw a towel onto the chair next to me as a woman who had visited our church entered the pool. My friend said, “I hope she doesn’t think she can sit with us every day.” My jaw nearly dropped. I also noticed conversations crossing the line into gossip more and more frequently. 

After months of neglecting to address these issues directly, a huge blow-up occurred with these same friends and ended over a decade of relationships. My choice to participate in gossip

Keep Watch!

by Gwen Smith | | 8 comments

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We need to be fully engaged and alert because our enemy is fierce. You don’t have to wear camo but as a follower of Christ, you do need a battle plan. It begins with acknowledging that there is a spiritual battle raging all around us that requires we keep watch. 

I was excited that evening because I actually had a dinner plan, which isn’t always the case. I busted out my griddle to whip up some yummy grilled-chicken quesadillas. I grabbed a knife, a chopping board, and the leftover chicken from the fridge. Minutes later, the chicken was ready for its cheese and tortilla companions. 

While the griddle was heating up, I turned my attention to a few other family

Holding onto Hope for Your Prodigal

by Joanna Teigen | | 3 comments

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When we met, she had been involved at church for years and knew the Bible’s teaching. She watched God answer prayers for help in remarkable ways. Other believers showed her Christ’s love through kindness and loyal friendship. She witnessed the generosity, compassion, and courage that true faith brings. And yet, after a difficult season of suffering and doubt, she chose to walk away from Jesus and go her own way.

Those of us who love this young wife and mom were devastated. We wondered, what went wrong? How could we have set a better example of faith? How can she be so blind to God’s love in her life? Why was she so easily tempted and deceived by the world?

How Much Faith Does It Take?

by Mary Southerland | | 2 comments

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I am not a quitter! What some might call stubbornness, I prefer to call perseverance – especially when it comes to growing flowers and plants.

We recently downsized and moved to a house with a small wooden deck in the backyard. I took one look at that deck and could almost hear it crying out for beautiful plants spilling over the edges of brightly colored ceramic planters. My stubbornness … uh, perseverance … kicked in, and I thought, “I can do this!”

I headed to the local nursery where they know me. And by “know me” I mean they understand that I can kill just about any living plant known to mankind.

Linda greeted me with a smile. Linda and I

Something New to Wear

by Suzie Eller | | 5 comments

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I was flying out of town for a week. A few minutes before leaving for the airport, I glanced at my airline ticket and saw a code I didn’t recognize. I did a quick check. To my dismay, I discovered the code meant I couldn’t bring any type of luggage with me. In fact, I was limited to a small backpack that could fit under the seat. 

What could I do? 

I started improvising. I tucked the essentials in my small backpack (my computer, makeup, an extra pair of shoes, and clean underwear). Then I put on two pairs of pants. A camisole. Two shirts. A sweater and a jacket. Two pairs of socks. A pair of boots. 

An hour later when I

Don’t Worry, God Wins

by Barb Roose | | 6 comments

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On my social media, it feels like I’m seeing a growing wave of anti-God and anti-Bible comments. In our post-Pandemic world, media outlets and pollsters confirm an increasing number of empty seats and a rise in the number of people who no longer believe in a sovereign God or that Jesus is the only way of salvation.

While we may look around and feel the decline of faith in our country, you may wonder if God is in heaven wringing His hands. Is He worried that His plan for humanity is falling apart? Is God concerned that He might be considered obsolete in our rebellious world?

Today’s truth in Psalm 2 reveals God’s response to our world’s repeated attempt to

Prayer Can Change a Man’s Heart

by Sharon Jaynes | | 34 comments

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Allan was a tough man. Raised by a single mom with five siblings, he learned how to scrape his way through life and climb to the top of humanity’s heap through sheer determination and grit. He married at nineteen, had his first son at twenty, then a baby girl at twenty-five. Over the next two decades, he advanced from driving a delivery truck at a lumber yard to becoming part owner of a building supply company.

Allan drank heavily, fought with his wife verbally and physically, and terrorized his children emotionally. He gambled, dabbled in pornography, and had questionable relationships laced with a host of unsavory vices. 

But when his teenage daughter gave her life to Jesus and began praying