“Mommy, can we get a puppy? I promise I’ll take care of it.” Many children make this plea to their parents. However, parents realize loving a fuzzy puppy requires commitment, responsibility, and obedience. It’s not all fun and can seem like suffering at times. Committing to a relationship, animal, or job requires responsibility and can involve suffering. In your commitments…
God is good and just. If I try my best and ask for forgiveness, I will go to heaven when I die. God just asks us to believe he exists and do our best. No one is perfect, and we all sin, but that’s not evil. There are various degrees of sin and evil, so surely hell is for the…
I used to rehab houses. I loved taking a rundown home and remodeling it to a better condition. Even if it looked like a new home, it was only an older, fixed-up home. I thank God that He didn’t want to fix me up, but He decided to make it possible for my heart, soul, spirit, and mind to become…
Letting someone lead me in a workshop blindfolded made me aware of how crucial trust, listening, and obeying instructions can be. I could not evaluate or make decisions that required sight, so I had to trust the person leading me. If I didn’t follow their instruction, I bumped into things. This experience can often parallel my challenge to follow Jesus.…
Can light and darkness share the same space? Can goodness and evil be partners? Can you be sincerely grateful to Jesus for what he has done in your life and covet what others have at the same time? This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in…
The marital abuse and divorce rates are the same for Christians and non-Christians. Why? How can this be true IF we are disciples of Christ and following God’s word? During COVID, “Domestic violence cases increased by 25-33% globally in 2020. Nearly 20 people per minute.” UAB News, Health & Medicine, The pandemic is increasing intimate partner violence. Here is how…
I told my pastor that my husband constantly called me names. When I told my husband his words hurt me, he dismissed my feelings and said I needed to quit being so sensitive. I shared the abuse charges from a police report with my pastor. My pastor condemned me for smearing my husband’s good name, a church deacon, by going…
“If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God, you’ll be at rest.” Corrie Ten Boom was a Holocaust survivor who provided refuge to Jews. As the world continues to whirl into another state of chaos with the war in Ukraine, many believers are trying to find peace without success.…
“I sure wish God would talk to me. It doesn’t feel like I’m doing anything for him. And I wonder where He is or if I did something,” my friend confided in me. I listened to her confusion, frustration, and doubts about God and her capabilities. I have been in this place in my life, and I’m sure some of…