Stories that reveal, restore, redeem
“Will it hurt?” This used to be a frequent question of mine, though I phrased it differently over the years. “What will this cost me?” “What’s at stake?” “Who will I lose?” “Will this be worth it?” In my younger days, if any of those questions produced an undesirable answer, then off I’d go, as far away as possible from […] Read More
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. You see, at just the right time, when we were […] Read More
I lift my eyes up to the mountains Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, The Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121) As I wound my way through the Yosemite valley my heart was pounding in my ears, breath faintly visible with every exhale in the chilly January afternoon. The only audible sounds were […] Read More
“Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11) Life was good, and I was content. It was autumn of 2017. I was busily involved in our daily life here in Pennsylvania—drafting a […] Read More
‘In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.’ John 16:33 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. (Psalm 43:5) It seems there’s no guarantee of anything in this unpredictable world […] Read More
That feeling of happiness seems to come and go as the wind, however, biblical joy is unaffected by circumstances or compliments. It does not sway with daily mood swings. Rather, biblical joy is knowing God, and our God is good, pure, love, and a never-ending, never-changing God. Because of that, we can always have inner joy in knowing that God […] Read More