Are You Willing to Take a Risk?

by Kelly Balarie | | 3 comments

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“Mom, I feel God wants me to go up and knock on the door of that house right there and tell the people inside that God loves them,” my 6-year-old son said.

“You…what?!” I blurted out while we positioned our bikes on the road for a much-needed water break.

This wasn’t a friend’s house. This wasn’t a next-door neighbor’s house. This wasn’t remotely close to where we lived, nor was it a normal thing to do. Yet, my son had his eyes locked on…that house.

“I want to do it, mom.”

How could I stop him? How could I tell him that he should hold back the truth about God’s love, because of my fear, my sense of embarrassment and my discomfort because

I Am Loved

by Mary Southerland | | 6 comments

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Shakespeare described jealousy as a “green-eyed monster.” I once heard it called “the gangrene of the soul.” Jealousy is usually thought of as a negative trait we need to guard against. But with God, jealousy takes on a whole new meaning.

God is a jealous God.

The root idea in the Old Testament word jealous is to become intensely red, referring to the way our face changes color with rising emotion when something or someone very dear to us is threatened. Kind of like fire!

For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God (Deuteronomy 4:24, NSAB).

Both the Old and New Testament words for jealousy are translated “zeal.”

In other words, being jealous and being zealous is often the same thing in the Bible. God

Torn in Two for Me and You

by Lisa Morrone | | 3 comments

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As Easter Sunday nears, we believers often take time to reflect on the biblical account of the Resurrection weekend. Scripture tells us of many miraculous happenings: many of the dead in Christ rose from their graves and walked about Jerusalem, the huge boulder at the mouth of the Savior’s tomb was rolled aside, Christ’s body vanished right from beneath His burial clothes, and angels appeared (Matthew 27:52-53).

Meanwhile, back at the temple, the thick curtain, which separated the Holy Place where the Levitical priests served daily, from the Most Holy Place, where only the High Priest could enter once a year, was TORN IN TWO!

Maybe I was an unusual child, but as I listened to my Sunday school teacher

Finding Freedom from the Religious Rules-Police

by Barb Roose | | 19 comments

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When I grew up in the church during the 1980’s, my grandmother and her friends hid a shocking secret underneath their fabulous Sunday hats. Those elegant hats were adorned with fluffy feathers, giant bows, and decorative nets. They anchored those hats to their heads with a legion of bobby pins just in case they felt like jumping up and down as the gospel music started to “get good.” So, what was their secret? My grandma and her friends didn’t style their hair underneath their hats! In time, those hats became a symbol of the kind of Christianity that I witnessed and lived much of my early life: Your life might be a mess on the inside, but as

Why This? Why Me? Why Now?

by Sharon Jaynes | | 5 comments

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My son, Steven, and I sat on the floor in his room playing a card game. This summer was proving to be the best ever. Our golden retriever, Ginger, had just delivered seven adorable puppies, Steven was enjoying his sixth summer of life, and after four years of negative pregnancy tests, God had surprised us with a new life growing inside my womb.

But as Steven and I sat cross-legged on the carpet, I felt a warm, sticky sensation run down my leg. A trip to the bathroom confirmed my greatest fears—I was bleeding. Later that afternoon, the doctor voiced the weighty words, “There is no heartbeat.”

What do you do when heartbreak slams into joy? When your soul cracks

Breaking Down That Wall

by Suzie Eller | | 5 comments

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For years I didn’t have a strong community of close friendships. I was surrounded by people who cared about me, but I didn’t let them get too close. I built a wall that only God and I could see.

Some might have even seen that wall as strong. It made it appear as if I was highly independent. I learned to work hard and do things on my own.

Some might say that wall kept me safe. After all, as long as the wall existed no one could trample my heart.

Yet one day I sensed God asking me to break down that wall, for He saw the truth. That wall was isolating. It was exhausting to fly solo all the

You and Wonder Woman Have This in Common

by Gwen Smith | | 9 comments

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In the first few moments of the movie, we watched her light up and ask hard questions as her beautiful mama told her stories at bedtime. Brave curiosity and fearless adventure twinkled in her eyes as she ran about and soaked in the activities and people of the all-female, Amazonian warrior-filled island of Themyscira.

Diana, princess of the Amazons, grew in skill, wisdom and stature, training as an unbeatable warrior. She loved justice. Loved peace. Loved goodness. It was all she knew… until the day a handsome American spy, Steve Trevor, crashed his plane in the waters off the paradise island and Diana dove in to save him.

As she grew to know Steve, Diana learned of the danger, death,

God’s Got the Power

by Mary Southerland | | 2 comments

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The lakes in Florida are beautiful, but relatively shallow. Over the years, they fill up with the silt and mire that wash off the shore. In time, they accumulate two to three feet of mire and decaying vegetation at the bottom. That mire soon begins to deprive the lake, plants and fish of valuable oxygen. The lakes eventually die. In order to halt this process, the lakes must be drained periodically to expose the mire. Workers then come in and dredge the mire – restoring the lake bottom to its original condition. The lake water can then be raised. The lake, its vegetation and fish are soon thriving again.

Our lives are much the same. To experience God’s peace,

Look at Me

by Arlene Pellicane | | 3 comments

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My teenage son was doing homework on the computer, eyes locked on the screen. “Please set the table,” I said as I walked by.

Several minutes later, I returned to find my son in the exact same position while the table remained unset. “Didn’t you hear me?” I asked.

“Did you say something mom?” he answered.

When there’s no eye contact involved in human conversation, communication is compromised!

You don’t have to have children to recognize our preoccupation with digital devices can erode the quality of our closest relationships. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, not the posts of the beholder. Eye contact is a key ingredient in any healthy relationship.

I remember when my husband James and I were first

Who Are You Trusting?

by Gwen Smith | | 2 comments

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Knowing her soul was filled with sorrow, I sent my girlfriend a few texts with links to worship songs, hoping they would cover her grieving heart with comfort. A while later she responded. Listening and worshiping. I have death certificates and head stones here, but we know that he has eternal life and the glory of God all around him. For that, I will ever praise the Lord.

The funeral had passed, but the sting of the death was still fresh and fierce.

At the hand of a tragic, senseless accident, her young-adult son was gone in an instant. Shockwaves of horror ripped through the community, leaving tens of thousands with a raw reminder of the frailty of life.

One treasure