Our Blog Words of Encouragement & Useful Resources

Christians know the “quick take” summary of our calling is to “do what Jesus did.” The challenge is embracing Jesus’ many radical actions. It might be easy to say we want to be like Jesus, but His tendency to push boundaries and take risks in the name of God’s love...

As I write this, autumn has arrived, both on the calendar and in the cooler temperatures. I see the increasing evidence in the changing hue of leaves, the changing landscape of harvested fields, and the changing outfits as more and more jackets make their appearance....

In a culture where “bigger is better” is an unquestioned life principle, it’s easy to understand why many Christians feel a bigger church—more worship attenders, a larger building, more financial resources—is always better than a smaller one. The Biblical truth about...

“So, what do you want?” It’s the question we get asked as Christmas approaches, as we pull up to the drive-through order microphone, and in many other life contexts. It gains new importance as we read Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:7-8: “Ask and it will be given to you;...

Visit the electrical extension cord section at the local hardware store, and you’ll discover three basic kinds of cords: light duty, general duty, and heavy duty. The question for the electrical beginner is, “what’s the difference?” After all, other than various...

I grew up blessed by a mother who was an excellent baker. If mom didn’t have a pie, cake, and cookies available at all times, she felt as if she had failed in her responsibility to her family. I learned a critical lesson as I watched her create her culinary...

Things around us are changing ever faster these days. It’s hard to keep up with world events, much less understand the “whys” behind those events. Positions we’ve taken for granted on foundational issues such as gender, marriage, family, fairness, and even what...

Aviators are familiar with the “1 in 60” rule, which can be expressed as “for every sixty miles a pilot flies with a one-degree heading error, the plane will be one mile off course.” An implication is that even a small mistake in direction over time can cause a pilot...

The evening after the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine began, I received a two-word text from a relative that directly communicated his feelings: “It’s scary!” Indeed, life circumstances (name your issue: the economy, the pandemic, terrorism, inflation, family...

If you took physics in high school, you might remember Newton's Laws of Motion, one of which is “objects at rest tend to remain at rest, and objects in motion tend to remain in motion.” The force created by motion is “momentum”--“the impetus gained by a moving...

The turn of a new year is traditionally a time for new focus, new passion, and new direction. Questions like “what should I give up,” “what should I pursue,” and “in what should I invest my resources” bubble around us. The pivot points of those questions are often the...

In an oft-played Christmas favorite, John Lennon and Yoko Ono sing, “So this is Christmas, and what have you done? Another year older, a new one just begun…” Few Christmas songs share such a direct challenge to personal evaluation, but the question is an appropriate...

As we enter the Thanksgiving season, thoughts turn to thankfulness in general and to thankfulness for God’s blessings in particular. We celebrate the joy of all that Jesus has done for us through his death and resurrection—forgiveness granted, eternal life provided,...

“Give me that old time religion, give me that old time religion, give me that old time religion—it's good enough for me!” So goes the chorus of the oft-quoted song, considered a plea to remain faithful to the “old ways” in the face of trendy innovations, which by...

“‘Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” (Isaiah 54:10) Reflecting on the uncertainty that marks so many aspects of our...