A Brilliant Reflection If you have ever looked out on a newly frozen and undisturbed lake, you’ve witnessed a reflection so pure it’s nearly an illusion. We tend to see these brilliant surfaces in smaller water bodies, where there is less interruption to the process. What a beautiful image this is when we consider how […]

  There is a pivotal point consistently found throughout Scripture. We discover a contrast of what we once were, and who we now are. The hinge in the middle is Christ. In every scenario, and in any circumstance, He is the difference maker. We find exactly this sort of situation in Titus chapter 3. Verse […]

  It is difficult to escape the discouragement of this unique holiday season. Many are grieving get-togethers that simply cannot take place. It goes against our human nature — us being created in the image of a relational God — to not gather with our loved ones. While we hope and pray ways are made […]

  Perhaps you, like so many, feel the hard-pressed nature of focusing on Advent this Christmas season. Events of this year have caused a refraction of attention — redirecting our thoughts to immediate, pressing circumstances. We find it difficult to be still and think back on the manger scene. It is a challenge to slow […]

  On every side we are bombarded with reminders of the broken world we live in. We walk through our days longing for assurance, desperate to know we are secure, safe, and that no evil or tragedy will strike. Yet that is not the world we live in. And as we grapple with this existence, […]

  Have you ever witnessed the aftermath of a forest fire? Black, chalky tree trunks lay felled across the scorched forest. Maybe you have observed the actual devouring — flames reaching toward the sky, changing colors as they travel across the varying landscape, fuel for the fire charging from brush to tree. It is heart […]

  The imagery of feasting sets an important backdrop for the Scriptures. The Old Testament tells of ceremonies and celebrations packed with significance, and numerous times in the New Testament we see Jesus feasting with His followers. There is a constant returning to the table, all in the name of seeking God’s presence. In a […]

  Most of the time when we think of the antonym of contentment, the word discontentment comes to mind. Yet if we take the time to unpack the concept of discontentment, we discover more precise examples. We find what truly erodes our contentment: envy, pride, entitlement, selfishness, disappointment, and especially relevant in today’s society — […]

  It is easy to feel at a loss when it comes to teaching the Word of God to a child. The task feels weighty and overwhelming. What if we say the wrong words? What if we miscommunicate what God meant? We long to be like the worker described in 2 Timothy 2:15, “who does […]