Sometimes my faith is shaken when my dreams are shattered. I wonder where God is in the midst of my suffering. I cannot sense his presence. I feel alone and afraid. My faith wavers. I question what I have long believed. I wonder what is real, especially when my experience doesn’t match my expectations. This wavering deeply troubles me. I have tasted God’s goodness, enjoyed close fellowship with him, rested in his tender care. I have known both his power and his love. Yet in the midst of profound struggle, I have no answers. Just questions. “In this life, I may never see how God is using my ..read more

"The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (1 John 4:8)  "God is love." This sentence has been quoted over and over again, but have we ever considered what this actually means? Since God is love, the very essence of His being is love. If we do not love, we do not know God, for we cannot know God without receiving His love. We may know many things about God, but that does not prove that we know Him. Loving others is the proof that we know Him. This love is not the love that does good to those who do good things to us, but the love that is described in 1 Cor. 13: 4-8a. It s ..read more

Have you ever had a drive home that didn’t turn out like you planned? When I was a junior in high school, my cousin, Barbi, and I, drove home together following cheerleading practice. As always, that day was a “never-a-dull-moment-with-my-cuz” day. As I drove along a country road toward her home, Barbi spontaneously and enthusiastically shouted, “Hey! Let’s trade places!” When she started climbing on my shoulders like we were doing a cheerleading stunt, I knew that she had no intention of waiting for me to stop the car before she pushed me out of the driver’s seat. Why did she want to do ..read more

Many people, probably even many Christians, think God's love is unconditional. As God extends his love to all people without distinction, it is true. Many have bought into the sentimental notion of unconditional love evidenced in the old popular song, "Though it makes him sad to see the way we live, he'll always say, 'I forgive.' " This is fuzzy romanticism and cheap grace, not the good news of Jesus Christ. Is unconditional love the loftiest form of love? Consider three cases: A mother is having a test of wills with her two-year-old. The young boy wants to continue playing, but it is time f ..read more

The last year has been one of the most confusing, troubling, and heartbreaking years for many Christians in America, especially for younger believers. It has felt at times like every new day has brought its own dark wave of reasons to be discouraged or to despair. Ask yourself some of these questions: Does your heart break over the racial tensions in our nation? Are you fearful about the threat of war? Do you grieve over the behavior of our president? Have you followed the devastation from the hurricanes or wildfires? Have you lost a loved one in the last year? Is your family facing even lar ..read more

The Three Divine Sisters Take a look in the mirror and ask yourself a few questions. What does faith, hope, and love mean to you? What do you see these three traits as in your life? How can they help you become a more trustworthy Christian? As Christians, we all have similar beliefs, but do have different mindsets. For the next few minutes, really think about what Jones is saying about faith, hope, love and why they are seen as so important.  Faith, hope, and love have been referred to as the three divine sisters. We can think of them as three beautiful sisters joined together hand in hand ..read more

I know some things my pet does not. My dog thinks he wants to fight that pesky cat next door. By his barking and straining at the leash, Albie gives every indication that chasing that cat would be the high point of his day. It wouldn’t. It would be his greatest nightmare. That little cat sits on the driveway, completely unmoving when my dog walks within 10 feet, barking and snarling and threatening. The cat hardly blinks an eye. Another day at the office. Another house dog who thinks he wants a piece of me but has no idea the trouble he’s asking for. I know what a fierce cat can do to a sweet ..read more

When faced with a challenge or crisis, our tendency is to get all anxious about it. But God does not want us to react this way. He does not want us to be anxious about anything. Instead, whatever the problem is, He wants us to go to Him in prayer and supplication, tel ..read more

"It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others." (Ephesians 2:10 LB) God calls you to a service far beyond anything you could ever imagine. You were put on Earth to make a contribution. Ther ..read more

First, it’s not easy to simply be still, is it? We live in a world that seems to be in perpetual motion. All of us have more to do than we ever get done. It is not in vogue to "be still." Successful people aren’t viewed as people who are "still." Rather, they are people who are active. We have this idea that if we’re not doing something, we’re not being productive. God, our Father, says the same thing to us. "Be still. STOP!" Stop working, stop moving, stop talking – STOP!" The first hurdle we face is to get our bodies to be still, to literally stop moving, and for most of us that do ..read more